Gluten Free Rice Pudding Bon Bons with Passion Fruit Coulis

I love rice pudding, I know, its kind of old fashioned, perhaps but I still find it so comforting! In this recipe I've updated a classic with a tropical twist and deep fried them. What's not to like!?

Serves 2, makes around 12

Prep 20 minutes, plus cooling

Cook 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice pudding:

100g short grain rice

30g caster sugar

450ml coconut milk drink

Good grating of fresh nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla essence

100ml double cream

1 tbsp cornflour

Coating:

5 tbsp plain gluten free flour

2 eggs, whisked

120g gluten free digestive biscuits

30g toasted desiccated coconut

Sunflower oil for deep frying

Coulis:

6-8 Passion fruit (around 100g pulp)

85g Preserving sugar

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Combine the rice, sugar, milk, nutmeg and vanilla in a medium pan. Whisk the cornflour into the cream in a small bowl. Simmer the rice in the milk for around 20 minutes until the rice is al dente and then add the cream mixture and cook for another 5 minutes to thicken.

2. Remove from the heat and transfer into a bowl to cool, first to room temperature and then put it into the fridge to firm up.

3. Make the coulis by scooping out the flesh of the passion fruit and combining with the sugar in a small pan, heat for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature

4. Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep pan, testing the temperature with a small chunk of bread (it should sizzle and crisp in about 30 seconds) or warm your deep fat fryer to 170C.

5. Crush or blitz the digestive biscuits in the food processor and then combine it with the desiccated coconut in a bowl. Put the whisked egg in another bowl and the flour in another.

6. Take a small amount of the cooled rice and roll it into a firm ball a bit smaller than a golf ball. Coat that in the flour, dusting off any excess. Transfer it to the egg and coat it and then put it into the coconut & digestive bowl. Toss the bowl so that the ball is completely covered and set aside, repeat with the remaining rice mixture.

7. In batches, carefully cook the balls in the hot oil for a couple of minutes until golden brown and remove to a tray lined with kitchen towel. Serve them warm, dusted in icing sugar with the coulis, either as a dip or drizzled over the top.