Coconut Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Kirsch Cherries

Most countries have their own version of rice pudding, and this has a bit of a Scandinavian vibe, with the inclusion of cardamom, a favorite Nordic spice. It’s a great dessert but also does nicely for breakfast if there’s any left over.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, chopped into pieces, plus extra for greasing

• 14 oz can coconut milk

• 5 1/2 cups whole milk, or more if needed

• 1 cup pudding rice or other short-grain rice

• 1/4 cup unrefined granulated sugar

• 3 cardamom pods, crushed with the side of a knife

• 3 short strips of lemon zest

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 whole nutmeg, grated

• 1 can or jar of black cherries in kirsch syrup (any kind of nonalcoholic syrup is also fine)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300ºF and generously butter a 8 x 12 x 2-in sheet pan or oven dish.

Pour both the milks into the prepared sheet pan and stir well, breaking up any thick blobs of coconut milk with the back of a spoon. Stir in all the remaining ingredients, except the cherries.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring halfway through, until the rice is tender and creamy. Add a splash more milk if the rice threatens to dry out before it’s cooked.

Remove the cardamom pods before serving with the black cherries and syrup spooned over.