Baked Rice Custard

 This recipe has a high nostalgic value for me. I think it was the first recipe my grandmother taught me to make. I was about ten. I was in her kitchen in Chadstone, and she told me to beat the eggs and sugar together using a spiral whisk. I don't think anyone had a balloon whisk in their kitchen then.

As I started beating, her telephone rang and, of course, in those days the phone was a big black instrument in the hallway. So Gramma went to answer it. It was one of her friends, and she sat chatting on the phone for probably fifteen or twenty minutes. My grandmother was not the "goo-ga" kind of grandmother, and so you didn't dare do anything wrong. If she told you to do something, you didn't stop until she told you to stop.

When she returned to the kitchen, I'd been beating those eggs and sugar for twenty minutes. She was a bit embarrassed, but we kept going with the pudding. Gramma's pudding dish was one of those enamel, blue-rimmed pudding dishes, and around the edge you got the crunchy black bits, which were the prized part that only Gramma got to have. But not this day. The pudding was so light and fluffy that I was ceremoniously served the dish scrapings. That was her way of telling me I had done a good job. I had the biggest grin!

The basic custard recipe here can be modified in many ways. My girlfriend Val adds sultanas to the rice. You can also use it to make bread and butter pudding by layering buttered slices of stale bread in the dish – make sure the custard soaks into every layer. My girlfriend Jenny uses the custard with panettone instead of bread, which is absolutely delicious too!

To make vanilla extract, split a vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Place the vanilla pod and seeds in a clean, sealable jar and add 250 ml of vodka. Allow to steep for at least 4-6 weeks before using. Top up with vodka as needed.

Serves 6

• 3 eggs
• 40 g sugar
• 1 l milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Fresh nutmeg
• 
  400 g cooked long-grain rice (about 3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix well.

Stir in the cooked rice and pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until the custard is set. Allow to cool slightly before serving.