*Creamy Rice Pudding*
Serves 6

Creamy and rich, this is our favourite rice pudding.  I clipped the recipe from out of a newspaper many years ago and the page is a bit tattered and spotted with time, which just goes to show that it's well loved and much used!

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 1/2 cups whole milk (570ml)
2 1/2 cups cream (570ml)
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 strip of lemon peel, the pith discarded
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup sugar (95g)
2 ounces flaked almonds, toasted and crushed with your fingers
To Serve:
1 1/2 cups tart cherries (tinned or frozen)
1/3 cup sugar (63g)
1/2 tsp cornflour
1 1/2 TBS cherry liqueur (optional)

First make the cherry sauce.  Combine the cherries, 1/4 cup of their juices, the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir and cook until the sugar is dissolved.  Mix the cornflour with 2 tsp of water.  Stir into the cherries.  Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until thickened.  Stir in the cherry liqueur, if using.  Set aside.

Place the milk, cream, vanilla bean and it's seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom and lemon zest in a large saucepan.  bring almost to the boil, then add the rice.  Return to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.  Simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is completely softened, tender and creamy.  Remove from the heat.  Take out the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and the lemon peel.  Stir in the almonds.

Serve the rice pudding in bowls with a dollop of the cherry sauce spooned on top.  Serve immediately.