BAKED RICE AND APRICOT PUDDING

Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan with the vanilla and the salt; stir the rice in, in a steady stream, then leave to simmer over a very low heat for 25-30 minutes; take the pan off the heat and leave the rice to cool

Put half the sugar into a bowl with the butter and beat to a foam; using a fork, whisk the egg yolks one by one, stir thoroughly into the cooled rice, beat the egg whites and the remaining sugar until firm, adding the sugar gradually; fold into the rice mixture

Drain the apricots and mix with the lemon juice and zest and the liqueur; place in a buttered ovenproof dish 24cm in diameter; top with the flaked almonds, cherries and then the rice mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 180C/Gas4 for 30-40 minutes; half way through cooking, cover the pudding with foil to prevent the top burning

Dredge with icing sugar and serve