Yesterday was a day for comfort eating. It was a tricky and tiring day involving a failed daycare drop-off (which turned into a pick-up), tears (her and me), a lot of soul-searching and a dose of unwanted advice (gotta love that, eh?) – so by the time we got home we were all a bit wrecked and in need of some serious comfort food.

A generous bowl of this chilled rice pudding was just the ticket. Leftover from the night before and eaten with a big spoonful of brown sugar-steeped tamarillos whilst watching children’s tv programs (O curled up beside me) it was the perfect antidote to a less-than-perfect day. All hail comfort food (and let’s be honest, just a little dose of sugar!).

A lighter, chilled version of a traditional rice pudding, perfect for summer. The brown sugar-steeped tamarillos are the perfect foil to the creamy rice pudding, but start the tamarillos a few hours ahead of time, or even better, the night before.

4 tamarillos
3 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup medium grain rice
750ml full-cream milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/3 cup golden caster sugar
1/2 cup greek yogurt

1. Cut a small cross in the base of each tamarillo and place in a medium-sized heatproof bowl.
2. Pour over enough boiling water to cover the fruit and allow to sit for 10 minutes or so (you want to blanch them so the skin is easy to remove).
3. Drain the tamarillos and top the bowl up with cold water, letting them sit for a few minutes to cool.
4. Using a small sharp knife, gently peel the skin from the tamarillos. Slice the remaining fruit and place into a bowl.
5. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cover, and place in the fridge to steep for a couple of hours, or even better, overnight.
6. Place rice and milk in a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
7. Cover and bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove lid and stir in sugar and vanilla bean (seeds and pod).
9. Allow to cook, lid off, for a further 5-10 minutes until thick and creamy and rice is cooked through.
10. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t form a skin, before stirring through yogurt.
11. Transfer to the fridge to cool completely before serving in bowls topped with tamarillo slices and syrup.