Persimmons are my most favoured fruit. Though their season is short, they always arrive at the best time of the year. Their colour, a reflection of the seasons leaves, and their flesh, surprisingly sweet. Every time. Recently I paired them with maple syrup, cardamom and freshly cracked walnuts to be layered atop this rice pudding - my go to sweet dish for the colder days (or any day really). We love a good bowl for breakfast. It's slow, simple and warming.

Persimmon + Walnut Rice Pudding

prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
yields: 2 servings

500ml milk
120ml thickened cream
120g short grain rice
1 tbs butter
4 tbs maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
2 firm but ripe Fuyu persimmons, sliced
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 tbs sweetened condensed milk

Combine milk, cream and rice in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 20 minutes. Stir often, until rice is cooked and the liquid has turned to a smooth creamy consistency. You may need to add a little warm water to the mixture towards the end if the moisture has evaporated too much.

Towards the last 10 minutes of cooking the rice, heat the butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and hot, add the persimmons and cook for approx 3 minutes on each side. They should be slightly golden when done. Remove from the pan and sit in a dish to the side.

Into the pan stir together 3 tbs of the maple syrup, the cardamom and the walnuts. Let it bubble away for a minute or two, then add the persimmons back to the pan, coating them in the syrup.

Once the rice is cooked, stir in the remaining 1 tbs of maple syrup and the 2 tbs of sweetened condensed milk.

Serve the rice in two bowls, topping them both with the persimmon slices, walnuts and a good drizzle of the spiced syrup.

Enjoy warm.