Recipe of the week: Rice pudding with salted caramel and caramelised nuts

This recipe for rice pudding is based around ingredients that you can find pretty much anywhere in the world and is therefore a universal crowd-pleaser, with the salty-sweet equilibrium of the salt and the caramel, and contrasting textures working together in perfect harmony. It serves 4 to 6 people. Ingredients 75g jasmine rice 100g sugar 1 vanilla pod 1⁄2 litre whole milk 250ml double cream 500ml double cream (whipped) Salty caramel sauce 250g sugar 50g butter 250ml double cream 1tsp sea salt (add more if necessary) Caramelised nuts 250g nuts to include (pecans, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts) 125g sugar Directions Put all the ingredients except the whipped cream into a saucepan and cook over a moderate heat, stirring often to prevent burning, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed and has thickened to pouring consistency. This takes about 30 minutes. Pour onto a flat dish and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming, then let it cool. When the rice pudding has cooled, fold in the whipped cream. Serve with salted caramel sauce and caramelised nuts. For the caramel sauce, put the sugar into a saucepan, add enough water to resemble wet sand, and boil until a light caramel colour is reached. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter and cream, then return to the heat, bring back to the boil, and add the sea salt. Toast the nuts in the oven. Put the sugar in a wide saucepan, add enough water so it resembles wet sand, and cook until the sugar is on the verge of caramelising. Turn off the heat and add the nuts, stirring vigorously. The nuts will crystallise, turning white and coated in sugar. Turn the heat back on and stir continuously to re-caramelise. The nuts should be individually coated in a crusted caramel sugar. Serve a small bowl of rice pudding with a little caramel sauce drizzled on top and the warm caramel sauce and nuts on the side. Thank you to Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of Red Carnation Hotels for the recipe. If you have a recipe you would like to share with  A Luxury Travel Blog’s readers, please contact us.