Cold pears stained red with tart hibiscus and offset by a hot, creamy, spiced rice pudding
Hibiscus 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
