Method
Once you have a gentle fire going, put the milk, cream, (superfine) caster sugar, lemon zest and bay leaves in a shallow, heavy-based pot and stir them over the heat. Warm up the milk and cream to help dissolve the sugar, then add the pudding rice.
Stir well and wait for the liquid to come to a boil, then move the pan to an area of the fire where it’s just simmering. Cook gently for 35–45 minutes, or until the rice is tender. It’s important to stir it once in a while to prevent the rice from catching on the bottom of the pan.
Halve the apples from top to bottom (there’s no need to peel or core them). Lay the apple halves, cut-side up, on a double layer of foil, large enough to encase the apples in a parcel. Sprinkle the tops of the apples with the brown sugar and dot over the butter. Sprinkle over the lemon juice, then fold the foil over the apples to create a neatly sealed parcel.
Set the parcel carefully down in the embers of the fire. The apples need to be cooked in a gentle, glowing heat, so don’t let them come into contact with any parts of the fire that are super-hot. Bake for 20–25 minutes, rotating the parcel occasionally to ensure the apples cook evenly.
Remove the parcel, open it and prod the apples with a knife to check that they are tender. If they’re not quite ready, rewrap and return to the fire for a little longer until they are.
Serve the apples hot, alongside the rice pudding, with all the sweet, buttery juices from the parcel.
