Rice - Caramelized Rice Pudding With Tipsy Raisins

3 Tablespoons Raisins
2 Tablespoons Rum
1 litre/ 1 1/4 pints Milk, or more if needed.
100 g./ 3 1/2 oz. round-grain rice
1 vanilla bean, split (essence will do)
pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar, or to taste
2 Eggs

Caramel:
100 g./ 3 1/2 oz. Sugar
5 Tablespoons cold water

To serve:
125 ml./ 4 fl oz. double cream


Put the raisins and rum in a saucepan, heat until quite hot, then remove from the heat and leave to macerate.

Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy saucepan and stir in the rice, vanilla bean and salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is very tender, 30-40 minutes. If necessary add more milk during cooking, when done milk should just be absorbed

Meanwhile, to make the caramel, heat the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil steadily without stirring until the syrup starts to colour. Lower the heat and boil until the syrup cooks to a dark caramel. Remove from the heat, let the bubbles subside and then pour the caramel into four ramekins: beware, it is very hot; leave to set.

Preheat the oven to 180 C./350 F.

When the the rice is cooked, remove the vanilla bean, stir in the raisins, rum and sugar and taste add more sugar if needed.

Whisk the eggs until pale and stir them into the rice. Spoon the rice into the caramel-lined ramekins. Set the ramekins into a roasting pan of hot water and bring to the boil on top of the stove.

Transfer it to the oven and bake until until the puddings are just set, 20-25 minutes. Remove them from the water bath and leave until cold.

To serve, run a knife around the edge of each pudding and turn out on to plates and spoon cream around them.