A creamy stovetop rice pudding, sweetened with honey and finished with sultanas, served with Conference pears roasted in a brown butter and spiced sugar glaze.
I’m not particularly a fan of the skin on a baked rice pudding, so mine is made on the hob, stirred every few minutes and taken off looser than you think it should be, because it thickens a lot as it stands. Honey replaces some of the sugar for warmth, and the sultanas go in only for the last five minutes so they plump without turning to mush.
The pears are not in a true caramel. You are simply stirring brown sugar and spices into brown butter, but it coats them beautifully and pools in each hollow as they roast. And when you serve it, some of the spiced butter from the tray seeps into the pudding, which is the best bit, so do not leave the tray juices behind.
Stovetop Rice Pudding with Sultanas and Brown Butter Spiced Roasted Pears
A soft, creamy stovetop rice pudding sweetened with honey and finished with sultanas, served with Conference pears roasted in a brown butter and spiced brown sugar glaze.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 firm Conference pears, about 150 to 180g each, peeled, halved and cored, stalks left on
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine salt
- 200g pudding rice
- 800ml whole milk, plus up to 200ml extra
- 250ml single cream
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 75g runny honey
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 100g sultanas
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 170C fan. Line a roasting tray with baking paper.
- Put the butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, foam and simmer, swirling now and then. Once the spitting goes quiet, watch for brown flecks on the base and a nutty smell, then take it off the heat.
- Stir the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and salt into the hot brown butter to make a loose, grainy glaze.
- Toss the pear halves in about two thirds of the glaze until coated. Arrange cut side up on the tray and spoon the remaining third into the hollows.
- Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, basting with the tray juices halfway, until golden and a knife slides in easily but the pears still hold their shape. Check at 30 minutes.
- Put the rice, 800ml milk, cream, caster sugar, honey and vanilla into a wide heavy-based saucepan. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
- Cook uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender but still holding its shape. Stir more often once it thickens so it does not catch. If it looks dry before the rice is cooked, add a splash of the extra milk.
- Stir in the sultanas and cook for 5 minutes more to warm through. Loosen with extra milk if you like it softer.
- Spoon into warm bowls, top each with 2 to 3 pear halves and spoon over the spiced butter from the tray.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
560Protein
9 gSugar
52 gCarbs
84 gFat
22 g
Ingredient Notes
Pears
Conference are the right pear here: firm, slightly grainy, and they hold their shape through 40 minutes in the oven. Comice, Williams and Concorde are softer and will slump, so if that is what you have, check them at 20 minutes. Slightly underripe is better than ripe.
Pudding rice
Short, round and starchy, which is what gives the pudding its creaminess. Arborio risotto rice is the closest substitute.
Whole milk and single cream
Whole milk is non-negotiable for texture; semi-skimmed gives a thin, watery pudding. The single cream adds richness without making it heavy. If you only have double cream, use 150ml and make up the difference with milk.
Honey
Runny honey dissolves straight into the milk. A set honey works but stir it in early so it melts. A darker honey like chestnut or heather adds more depth if you like it.
Sultanas
Added at the end rather than cooked through so they stay plump and distinct. Raisins or chopped dried apricots work in the same way.
Kitchen Notes
Browning the butter
Use a light-coloured pan so you can see the colour change. The butter will foam, spit and then go quiet; that quiet moment means the water has boiled off and it is about to brown. Look for brown flecks on the base and a nutty smell, then take it off the heat immediately. It goes from brown to burnt in under a minute.
Coring the pears
A teaspoon or melon baller scoops out the core cleanly and leaves a neat hollow for the glaze. Leave the stalks on if you like; they do nothing for flavour but the pears look better for it. If you would rather not core them, quarter them instead and check at 25 minutes.
Glazing in two stages
Toss the pears in two thirds of the glaze first so every surface is coated, then spoon the remaining third into the hollows. That second spoonful is what gives you the glossy pool in each pear.
Watching the pudding
Once the pudding starts to thicken it will catch on the base of the pan if you leave it. Keep the heat low and stir every couple of minutes, scraping right into the corners. A wide pan helps because the liquid reduces more evenly.
Judging the consistency
Take the pudding off the heat looser than you want to eat it. It thickens noticeably in the few minutes between pan and bowl, and even more if it sits. If you like it firmer, leave it as it is; if you like it softer, add the extra milk a splash at a time.
Timing the two parts
Start the pears first. Once they are in the oven, start the pudding. Both will be ready at roughly the same time, and the pears can sit in their tray for ten minutes without coming to harm.
Variations
Baked rice pudding
If you prefer the traditional baked version with a skin, use the full litre of milk from the start, as the oven drives off more liquid. Put everything except the sultanas into a buttered shallow 1.5 litre ovenproof dish, grate over nutmeg and dot with a little butter. Bake at 140C fan for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring once after the first 30 minutes, then leave it alone so the skin forms. Test a grain from the centre, not the edge; a deeper dish takes longer than a shallow one.
Other fruit
Quinces work the same way but need 50 to 60 minutes. Apples, halved and cored, need about 25 minutes. Plums halved and stoned need only 15 to 20 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
How to serve
In warm, shallow bowls so the pears sit on top rather than sinking. Two or three pear halves per person, with the tray juices spooned over. A grating of nutmeg or a pinch more cinnamon on top if you like.
Drinks
A sweet sherry or a glass of Pedro Ximénez, which picks up the brown butter and sultanas. A pot of rooibos, naturally sweet and honeyed with no tannin to fight the cream. A strong Assam with milk if you want something with more backbone against the spice.
Zero Waste
Pear peelings and cores can go into a pan with water and a spoonful of sugar and simmer for 20 minutes for a pear syrup to use in drinks or over porridge. Leftover pudding keeps for two days in the fridge; loosen with milk and reheat gently, or eat cold straight from the bowl. Leftover roasted pears keep for three days and are good cold with yoghurt and granola for breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make it baked instead?
Yes. Use the full litre of milk, bake at 140C fan for 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minutes, and see the Variations section for the full method.
Can I freeze rice pudding?
You can, but the texture goes grainy on thawing. It is better kept in the fridge for up to two days and reheated with a splash of milk.
Can I use other pears?
Yes, but Conference hold their shape best. Softer varieties like Comice and Williams need less time, so check them early.
Can I use arborio rice instead of pudding rice?
Yes. Arborio gives a very similar creamy result. Long grain rice stays loose and separate.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Oat milk and oat cream work well in the pudding. For the pears, use a plant-based block butter; it will not brown in the same way but still makes a good glaze.
When are Conference pears in season?
British Conference pears are picked from late September and store well through to early spring, so this is a pudding for the whole of autumn and winter.
