Arroz doce

Step 1: Put 7 oz short-grain rice (carolino or pudding rice), 2 cups water, 1 pinch salt, 2 strips unwaxed lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick in a heavy pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until the water is almost all absorbed and the grains have swollen.

Step 2: Add 3 ¾ cups whole milk a ladleful at a time, stirring and letting each one be mostly absorbed before the next, as for risotto. Keep it at a gentle bubble over a low heat.

Step 3: When the rice is completely soft and the pudding is creamy and loose, stir in 6 ½ oz caster sugar and ½ oz unsalted butter and cook for 3 minutes more. Sugar added earlier stops the rice from softening.

Step 4: Take the pan off the heat and fish out the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Beat 4 egg yolks in a bowl with 2 ladlefuls of the hot rice, then stir this back into the pan.

Step 5: Return to a very low heat and stir for 1–2 minutes, just until it thickens and turns pale gold. Don't let it boil: the common mistake is overheating at this point, which scrambles the yolks into flecks.

Step 6: Pour onto a wide platter or into shallow bowls and smooth the top. Leave until a skin forms, about 20 minutes, then dust 1 tsp ground cinnamon through a fine sieve over a paper stencil or by pinching it between your fingers in criss-cross lines.

Step 7: Serve at room temperature or chilled. It keeps covered in the fridge for 3 days; it firms as it cools.