H ibiscus has a tart, berry-like flavour, and turns these pears a jewel-bright crimson in colour. The pears are best poached a day ahead, because they’ll deepen in colour and flavour while they chill in the syrup. I especially like the contrast of the cold, gently tangy pears against a warm, creamy rice pudding that’s fragrant with cardamom, bay, lemon and vanilla. A scattering of pistachios adds a final touch of both colour and crunch.
Prep 10 min Infuse 15 min Cook 1 hr 20 min Chill 4 hr+ Serves 6
For the hibiscus pears 20g dried hibiscus flowers (from Middle Eastern grocers and online) 3 firm-but-ripe conference pears 150g caster sugar 2 wide strips lemon peel 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 pinch fine sea salt
For the rice pudding 120g short-grain rice (arborio or sushi) 900ml whole milk 6-8 green cardamom pods , lightly bashed with the flat of a knife 4 wide strips lemon peel 2 fresh bay leaves ½ vanilla pod , split lengthways and seeds scraped out ¼ rounded tsp fine sea salt 60g caster sugar 70ml double cream , plus extra to serve 25g shelled pistachios, lightly toasted and roughly chopped, to finish
Put the hibiscus and 600ml water in a medium saute pan or wide saucepan, and bring to a boil. Take off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the flowers to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the solids.
Meanwhile, peel the pears, halve them lengthways and scoop out the cores with a teaspoon. Return the hibiscus infusion to the pan and add the sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt. Put the pan on a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Slip in the pear halves, cover the surface with a round of baking paper (to help keep them submerged) and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, turning the pears occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until tender to the tip of a knife. (The exact timing will depend on the pears’ ripeness, so take care not to overcook them: they should be tender but still hold their shape.)
Take the pan off the heat, leave the pears to cool in the syrup, then cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, and preferably overnight.
For the rice pudding, put the rice and milk in a medium saucepan, add the cardamom pods, lemon peel, bay, vanilla seeds and empty half-pod, and salt, then bring just to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and cook very gently, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as the rice thickens, for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and surrounded by plenty of creamy liquid.
Add the sugar, cook, stirring frequently, for another four to five minutes, then take off the heat. Pick out and discard the cardamom pods, lemon peel, bay and vanilla pod, then stir in the cream. The pudding should be loose enough to settle across a shallow bowl, and bear in mind that it will thicken as it stands.
Divide the hot rice pudding between six shallow bowls and put a cold pear half on top of each. Spoon a little extra cream around the pudding, scatter chopped pistachios on top, then serve.
