Ingredients

For Poached Rhubarb

250g rhubarb, sliced
65g sugar
juice of one lemon

For Sponge Pudding

2 pears, 1 grated and 1 thinly sliced
100g Muscovado sugar
140g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
85g butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
zest of 1 blood orange (substitute with orange)

Homemade Vanilla Sauce
Pistachios, coarsely chopped

Method

1. To poach the rhubarb, place rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat on a low heat. Poach for approx. 5 minutes or until soft. The pieces should hold their shape and not turn too mushy. Drain and reserve the juices. Set aside to cool.
   
   
2. Heat the juice in a small saucepan and simmer until the juices cook down to a syrup.
   
   
3. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees C. Butter 6 ramekins.
   
   
4. In a bowl toss the poached rhubarb and pear slices with 2 tablespoons sugar. Arrange a few slices of pear and a tablespoon of rhubarb at the bottom of each ramekin. Set aside.
   
   
5. Sift flour and baking powder into a clean bowl. Beat remaining sugar and softened butter with and electric hand held beater until thick, creamy and light.
   
   
6. Break in one egg and beat until incorporated. Beat in the second egg. If the mixture begins to look curdled – don’t worry about it.
   
   
7. Add half of the flour into the mixture and using a rubber spatula fold it in. Stir in half of the milk, then add the rest of the flour, folding it well followed by the remaining milk.
   
   
8. Fold in the blood orange/orange zest and the grated pear. Spoon the mixture into the buttered ramekins and level off.
   
   
9. Place each ramekin in a roasting tin and fill the tin with hot water. Bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on your oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
   
   
10. Loosen the sponge pudding from the sides of the each ramekin with a knife and carefully invert it onto a serving plates. Serve drizzled with the rhubarb syrup, vanilla sauce and chopped pistachios.

The Food Guide Tips:

- Rhubarb – it’s really a veggie!

- Pistachios 

- Oranges