Soul food

Sago with coconut, orange and muscavado syrup. Photo / Babiche Martens

Before everyone starts to freak out about spring clothes appearing in the shops and the prospect of flesh on show, rest assured there are still plenty of chilly evenings ahead in which to settle down and enjoy a comforting pudding.

While these recipes are not the most calorie-conscious, a treat once in a while is necessary for one's soul. Reminiscent of childhood for a lot of us, it is always satisfying to revisit favourite recipes and play around with different flavours while flinging in an extra ingredient or two.

Today's recipe for bread and butter pudding pretty much involves all the ingredients being combined in a bowl, baked in a cake tin until golden, puffed up and just set. With plenty of lemon zest added and served with berries, it is deliciously fresh while still tasting rich.

Rice pudding is one of my favourites; baking for hours while the whole house smells like nutmeg, then breaking through the crust to divulge the deliciously creamy sweet rice. This classic dessert can also be made on the stovetop if you don't have hours up your sleeve. Using a risotto method results in a perfectly creamy pudding in 30 minutes.

The third recipe is for sago, which I know sends shivers of horror down many people's spines. Having eaten the Malaysian "gula melaka", a gloriously addictive combination of sago, coconut and palm sugar, I can't understand why so many hate it. Give this recipe a go and ideas of frogs' eggs may be banished forever.

SAGO WITH COCONUT, ORANGE AND MUSCOVADO SYRUP

Serves 4-6

2 Tbs sago

cup caster sugar

400ml coconut milk, plus an extra 2 Tbs to spoon over before serving

1 stick cinnamon

2 oranges

2 Tbs muscovado sugar

2 Tbs water

2 Tbs toasted dessicated coconut

1 Simmer the sago very gently in a saucepan with the sugar, coconut milk and cinnamon stick. Add the zest of one orange and stir until the sago becomes nearly transparent.

2 Cover and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until transparent when you remove the lid.

3 Peel and segment the oranges.

4 Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan then simmer until syrupy.

5 Spoon the sago into dishes and top with extra coconut milk, toasted coconut and a drizzle of muscovado syrup. Serve the oranges on the side.

RICE PUDDING WITH BRANDIED CURRANT AND VANILLA

Serves 4-6

400ml milk

400ml cream

tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

cup caster sugar

1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice

3 egg yolks

cup currants

2 Tbs brandy

1 Heat the milk, cream, nutmeg, vanilla pod and seeds with the sugar over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

2 Add the rice and cook for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked.

3 Whisk the egg yolks and add, then stir for 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod.

4 Warm the currants in the brandy and serve with the rice pudding, adding extra cream if so desired.

BREAD AND BUTTER WITH BERRIES AND LEMON

Serves 6

4 eggs

200ml milk

200ml cream

cup caster sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

8 x 2cm slices baguette

20g butter, softened

1 cup mixed berries

Extra cream to serve

1 Preheat oven to 180C. Line an 18cm cake tin.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and lemon zest.

3 Butter the baguette then add to the bowl, combine to break up the bread and then let soak up the liquid for 30 minutes.

4 Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden and just set. Serve with berries and cream.

CHEF'S TIP

Cooking rice pudding on the stove requires a risotto rice e.g carnaroli or arborio to achieve the required amount of creaminess. When making the syrup for the sago, muscovado sugar can be substituted with palm or brown sugar.Soul