Banana rice pudding

Rice pudding is the perfect winter comfort food. It can also be a nutritious snack for children too. This version uses a lower GI rice (which makes cooking quicker too!), is a rich source of calcium and has only a small amount of sugar in it. The sweetness comes from the addition of ripe bananas.

Banana Rice Pudding

1 cup basmati rice

4 cups milk

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

2/3 cup sultanas (optional)

1. Add rice, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and mashed bananas to a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes or until rice is cooked. Stir frequently. Liquid will have reduced but there will still be a fair bit of liquid in it.
2. Add sugar near the end, stir well to combine and remove from heat.
3. Place lid on saucepan and allow to rest for at least ten minutes before serving or storing away.
4. Pudding will continue to thicken over time, so allow it to be a little more liquidy than you would prefer if you plan to store it away.
5. Freezes well.



Cherry Tiramisu

For a deliciously different twist on a tiramisu style dessert, add fresh or canned cherries.

For a lower fat version, substitute 250g of the muscarpone for 250g of light ricotta. You won't even notice the difference.

Cherry Tiramisu

800g fresh cherries, pitted

250g savoiardi (sweet sponge finger biscuits)

1 cup esspresso coffee

1 cup marsala

300mL thickened cream, whipped

500g muscarpone

3 tbsp caster sugar

Drinking chocolate

Optional flaked chocolate

1. Cover the fresh cherries in marsala and leave overnight in the fridge.
2. Add coffee to the cherries and marsala. Carefully spoon out cherries, leaving liquid in the bowl..
3. Dip each savoiardi biscuit into the coffee marsala mix before placing in the tiramisu dish. Line the base with half the savoiardi biscuits.
4. Add a couple more spoonfuls of the coffee marsala.
5. Spoon over half the cherries.
6. In a large bowl, fold whippped cream into muscarpone.
7. Spread half the muscarpone mix over the first layer of cherries.
8. Sprinkle drinking chocolate over and repeat layers one more time.