Ingredients
Method
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice; stir 2 minutes to coat well. Stir in milk, the water, cinnamon, vanilla bean and seeds; bring mixture to the boil.
Meanwhile, spoon caramel into a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker; whisk until smooth. Add rice mixture to caramel; whisk well to combine. Cover surface of pudding with baking paper. Cook, covered, on high, for about 2¼ hours, stirring twice during cooking, or until rice is tender and liquid thickened.
Meanwhile, combine sultanas and sherry in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook mixture for about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in orange rind and set aside until needed.
Discard cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Serve rice pudding warm or chilled, topped with sherry sultana mixture and almonds.
Italian arborio rice from supermarkets will hold its shape better than locally grown arborio. Canned caramel filling is found in the baking aisle in supermarkets. Any sweet sherry is fine, however one of the nicest is Pedro Ximénez, a sweet dark sherry with a rich raisin-y taste.
Note