In the first of a series on those recipes that we can’t resist, Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace serves up a delicious dessert

‘Rice pudding is the ultimate in comfort food. To get really creamy rice pudding, the trick is to use whole milk and cream, and bake it slowly. Any dish that can be eaten with a spoon is comfort. Rice pudding is creamy hot and sweet, dive in and float away. I love it!’

Serves 6

100g (31⁄2oz) pudding rice
15g (1⁄2oz) butter, softened
50g (13⁄4oz) caster sugar
1–2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 litre (13⁄4 pints) whole milk
150ml (5fl oz) double cream

• Preheat the oven to 140ºC (275ºF/ Gas 1). Rinse the pudding rice under cold running water and leave to drain.

• Use the butter to liberally grease the inside of 6 large ramekins on a baking tray, or a 1.4 litre (2.5 pint) ovenproof dish. Add the rice to the dish along with the sugar,

• Mix the vanilla in the milk, to taste. Pour half over the rice, stir well, cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

• Mix the remaining milk and cream together. Remove rice from the oven, stir in the milk and the cream mixture, and bake for a further 1 hr–1hr 20 minutes or until rice is soft and swollen, the mixture is thick and creamy, and the top is lightly golden. The pudding should wobble slightly when the dish is shaken.

Serve warm.

• MasterChef Everyday cookbook is available in bookshops (dk.com £20).