Cook time: 60 mins | Prep time: 10 mins | Serves: 6

Ingredients.

• 1 1/4 cups arborio rice

• 4 cardamom pods, squash pod. Use black seeds inside

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground

• 1 tablespoon of natural sweetener

• 800ml coconut milk

• 200ml water

• 60ml tablespoons of maple syrup

• 60ml tablespoons of date syrup

• 3 pears, finely sliced with a mandolin (approximately 2mm slices) don’t peel.

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/3 cup slithered almonds

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

  To Serve: drizzle of maple syrup or date syrup

  Optional: plant base/coconut ice cream

Method.

1. In a heavy-based oven-proof 30cm pan (with a lid). Place the rice, coconut milk, freshly grated nutmeg, cardamon seeds, sweetener, and a pinch of salt.

2. Stir through to combine and place on the stovetop on low heat with the lid on and cook for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Take the lid off and stir, making sure to lift rice from the bottom. Place the lid back on and cook for another 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C fan forced (390°F).

4. While the rice is cooking, add the date syrup and maple syrup together and stir well.

5. Thinly slice the pears on a mandoline (approx. 2mm thick) and place the pears into the maple and date syrup mixture. Be sure to coat all the slices of pear in the syrup.

6. Turn the stovetop off and stir the rice mixture thoroughly. If the rice has stuck to the base carefully lift.

7. The mixture should be a liquid consistency. If it has thickened add another 100ml of water or milk before adding the pears on top.

8. Place the pear mixture evenly on top of the rice. Put the lid back on and place it into the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes.

9. Take out of the oven and evenly sprinkle coconut, almonds, and cinnamon. Then back in the oven with no lid for 7 minutes.

10. Serve straight away with a good drizzle of date or maple syrup and serve with plant base ice cream for an extra hit of deliciousness.

Cooking Notes:

I have made this with half coconut milk and half macadamia milk. The flavour is beautiful.

You can find date syrup at any supermarket of spice/middle eastern store.

Enjoy! Amanda x