Rice pudding with toffee apples

Method

1. Put the milk, pudding rice and nutmeg into a medium pan and bring to the boil. Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds into the milk. Simmer for 40 minutes until the grains in the rice pudding are soft, stirring frequently to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. For the toffee apples: Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease well, then lay the apple slices over in a single layer. Stir together the caster sugar water in medium pan, over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once all the sugar crystals have disappeared, boil the mixture without stirring, until the syrup begins to caramelise and turn light brown. Carefully pour the caramel over the apple slices to cover them, and leave to cool completely.

3. Once the rice pudding is cooked, stir in the caster sugar and remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, then add the egg yolk and stir well. If the pudding looks a little thick, add a splash of milk to loosen it. Spoon into a serving bowl, top with the toffee apple pieces and serve whilst warm.