Ingredients

• 50g butter
  100g arborio rice
  850ml whole milk
  100ml cream (single or double, as you wish)
  90g caster sugar
  1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped and reserved
  1⁄2 cinnamon stick
  grated zest of 1⁄2 orange
  grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
  1 tsp rose syrup or 1 tbsp rosewater
  6 crushed pink peppercorns
  Pinch grated nutmeg
  1 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)
  3−4 saffron strands
  1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
  2 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
  2 fresh figs, roughly chopped

Method

1. Melt the butter over a medium heat, then add the rice. Stir to coat the rice as if you were making risotto. Stir in the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon, orange and lemon zest, rose syrup or rosewater, pink peppercorns, nutmeg and almonds (if using).
2. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake for two hours. Alternatively, simmer on the stove for 45 minutes or until the rice is soft, making sure you stir it, especially towards the end of cooking. Stir in the saffron strands 10 minutes before it is ready.
3. Once the rice has cooked, garnish it with pomegranate seeds, pistachios and figs and remove the vanilla pod before serving.

This recipe was featured in Janet’s cookbook, Vanilla, cooking with one of the world’s finest ingredients.