LEMON – INFUSED RICE PUDDING WITH SPICED PEARS
Serves 6

Pudding
2 cups table cream
2 cups homogenized milk
5 Tbsp sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
pinch sea salt
1/3 cup short grain rice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lemon, zest and juice only
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Heat cream, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, cardamom, salt and zest in a saucepan until scalding.  Stir in rice, bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and transfer to a greased baking dish.  Place into oven and bake, stirring occasionally, 1 hour or until pudding is thick and browned on top.  Remove from oven, remove vanilla bean and stir in butter and lemon juice.

Spiced Pears
6 firm pears, peeled, halved and cored
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds, coarsely ground
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 300 F.  Place pear halves in a roasting pan cut side up.  Mix together melted butter and spices and brush over pears then sprinkle sugar evenly over.  Bake 1 hour or until tender and browned.  Remove and serve with pudding.

from Taste magazine Fall 2010