Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves 4

3 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp rosewater essence

Pomegranate syrup
1 pomegranate
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup water

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Put milk in a medium heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When bubbles begin to form around pan edge, add rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until rice is just tender. Remove from heat.

2 Add sugar to rice mixture and stir until dissolved. Stir in rosewater. Pour mixture into a 4-cup-capacity ovenproof dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brown skin forms on top and rice is tender. Serve creamed rice warm with syrup.

3 To make Pomegranate syrup: Cut pomegranate in half, scoop out seeds. Put sugar and water in a pan and stir over a medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Add seeds and simmer for 3 minutes.

Photo by Chris L Jones