Salted Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe

This Salted Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe topped with Caramelised Nuts combines so many delicious flavours and textures, yet this old fashioned favourite with a twist is so easy to make.

For me, there’s nothing like a bit of old-fashioned comfort food. My grandmother used to make rice pudding and the sight of one coming out of the oven takes me straight back to my childhood. 

I was delighted to discover this recipe and enjoy Salted Caramel Rice Pudding at The Montague in London.  The recipe is from the Red Carnation Hotel group’s founder and president Beatrice Tollman, who knows food and likes to pass on her recipes.  I bought her book, A Life in Food, which is a collection of her all-time favourite recipes.

This dessert combines simple flavours with the twist of the salted caramel sauce and the crunch of the caramelised nuts.  Serve the sauce and nuts separately and let your guests create their own combinations to taste.  You’ll also find the salted caramel sauce and caramelised nuts are the perfect accompaniment for many other desserts.  Do experiment!

​Salted Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe

Serves 6 – printable recipe card at the end of the post

Ingredients

• 75g jasmine rice
• 100g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 strips lemon peel
• 1/2 litre whole milk
• 250ml double cream
• 500ml double cream, whipped

Salted caramel sauce

• 250g sugar
• 50g butter
• 250ml double cream
• 1 tsp sea salt

Caramelised nuts

• 250g nuts (pecans, pumpkin seeds, almonds and walnuts)
• 125g sugar

Method

Pudding
Put all the ingredients except the whipped cream into a saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring often to prevent burning. It takes about 30 minutes for the rice to be tender with most of the liquid absorbed and thickened to a pouring consistency.  Pour into a flat dish and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming, then let it cool.  When it has cooled, fold in the whipped cream.

For the caramel sauce
Put the sugar into a saucepan, add enough water so it resembles 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 sea salt.

Caramelised nuts
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 crusted caramel sugar.

The Montague on the Gardens

The Montague is also a little like a rice pudding.  It’s full of old-world charm and a warm welcome that makes you feel at home.  The dining room is elegant but not pretentious and the staff do their very best to make guests comfortable.  Full of character is the best description of the rooms which answer every need to a high level.