Recipe: Vanilla bean and coconut rice pudding with spiked poached pears

Posted on 22 June, 2021

Creamy rice pudding infused with cinnamon and vanilla bean topped with poached pears and drizzled with red wine syrup…yum.

A refined sugar-free, vegan and gluten-free decadent breakfast recipe that is winter in a bowl! Make ahead for easy weekday breakfasts that you can prep in a hurry.

What you need

• Medium saucepan
• Small saucepan
• Large saucepan

Ingredients

Makes four serves 

For the poached pears 

• 250ml red cooking wine
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• Zest from 1/4 of an orange, plus extra to serve (optional)
• 1 pear, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon arrowroot starch mixed with 1/2 teaspoon water

For the rice pudding

• 2 x 400ml cans coconut milk or cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod, split
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup Aborio risotto rice
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• To serve: 1 whole nutmeg, freshly grated, zest from 1/4 orange

Method

In the medium saucepan, bring the red wine, maple syrup and orange zest to the boil until it is simmering. Drop in the pear halves, turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with glad wrap.

Allow the pears to soak up the red wine mixture for around 10 minutes. Then gently lift out the pears and add the coconut sugar and arrowroot paste to the red wine and cook on a medium heat until it’s reduced and syrupy.

Meanwhile, in the small saucepan, heat the coconut milk, cinnamon and scraped vanilla pod + husk until warm. Set aside.

In the large saucepan, heat the coconut oil until melted. Add the rice and coat in coconut oil.

Slowly add the warm coconut milk mixture one ladle at a time until the rice is almost cooked. When almost cooked, stir through the maple syrup and cook until rice is al dente. If the rice gets a bit dry, add water a few tablespoons at a time.

To serve: serve the rice pudding, topped with poached pears, a drizzle of red wine syrup, a grate of nutmeg and some orange zest. 

Storage

Pudding and poached pears will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.