Lavender Honey Risotto with Vanilla Roasted Stone Fruit

Recipe From What's For Lunch, Honey?

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 250g Arborio rice

• 600ml milk

• 3 tablespoons lavender honey

• 1/2 cinnamon stick

• 50g butter

• 100g cherries

• 4-5 apricots, halved

• 3 peaches, sliced

• 3 sprigs thyme

• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved

• 2-3 tablespoons muscovado sugar

• 50g pistachios, finely chopped

Method:

1. Pour milk in a saucepan and stir in the honey. Gently heat milk bringing it to a simmer. Turn off and allow to infuse for about 15 minutes. For the sweet risotto, melt butter in a large pot. Add the rice and stir while it cooks until the rice turns translucent - approx. 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the the cinnamon. Pour in a ladle full of the honey-milk and stir until the milk has incorporated into the rice.

2. Once the rice starts to get dry add more of the milk, repeating the procedure, stirring at regular intervals. This "massages" the rice, releasing the creamy starch for a perfect consistency. This process should take about 15-20 minutes. The rice grains should be soft but still have a slight crunch to them. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard.

3. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Toss the fruit in the sugar and place in an ovenproof dish and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes till the juices of the fruit begin to release. Add the vanilla seeds and toss again. Spread the thyme over the top, add the vanilla pod and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the fruit is soft but not mushy.

4. Spoon some of the fruit into individual glasses or bowls then divide the risotto over the top. Pour a few teaspoons of the syrupy fruit juice over the risotto and top off with some more of the roasted fruit.

5. Sprinkle some of the chopped pistachios and serve with the fruit still warm.

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