You will need
⅓ cup (80 ml) short grain rice
2 T (30 ml) white sugar
½ t (2.5 ml) salt
2 cups (500 ml) fresh full cream milk
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways or 1 t (5 ml) vanilla essence
3 egg yolks from separated extra-large eggs
3 egg whites
½ t (2.5 ml) lemon juice
¾ cup (180 ml) castor sugar
1 t (5 ml) cornflour
¼ cup (60 ml) smooth apricot jam
± 2 T (30 ml) water
Method
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 170°C.
Butter a 21 cm round ovenproof dish.
Rinse the rice in a strainer.
Sprinkle the rice, sugar and salt in the ovenproof dish and mix lightly.
In a large measuring jug beat together the milk, cream, seeds scraped out of the vanilla bean and egg yolks.
Pour evenly over the rice.
Bake open for 1 hour. Remove from oven (leave the oven on) and allow to cool a little while making the meringue.
Beat the egg-whites until foaming lightly, then add the lemon juice. Use an electric hand mixer and a glass bowl. Never a plastic bowl.
Continue beating until the mixture is thick, stiff and slightly dry. Gradually add the castor sugar, beating continuously. The mixture must be firm and shiny and retain its shape.
Sift the cornflour over the mixture and fold in with a metal spoon.
Blob meringue over the rice pudding.
Bake this soft meringue for 15 – 20 minutes at 170°C.
Dish up and drizzle a little warmed apricot jam, mixed with water, to thin it down.
