As a child, I used to love the custard my mother would make for us. I think it was made with a box mix, but it was always the perfect consistency and I enjoyed it warm or cold. For some reason, I didn't have custard for many years (except in the occasional cream puff or fruit tart) until I tried a vanilla pudding from Whole Foods a couple of months ago.
That one pudding sparked a minor obsession -- I was on a mission to find the perfect recipe for vanilla pudding. I'm not really a fan of that wobbly, jello-like consistency, so I like to leave it a little less "set" and it tastes a great deal like the custard of my childhood. I tried several different recipes without much success, and then finally came across this one. It's pretty amazing. It's surprising how easy it is to mess up a pudding! This recipe makes it pretty foolproof.
Serves 4-5 people.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups milk, divided (this means to hold the 1/2 cup separately from the 2 cups). I used skim milk, but any kind would be fine.
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (I like to use light brown sugar, or at least half light brown sugar, half white sugar)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch (in a pinch, you can use 6 Tablespoons of all purpose flour instead)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used a few drops of vanilla flavor and half a vanilla bean because I couldn't get access to pure vanilla extract)
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (or just use a teaspoon of rum), optional
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Directions:
1. Place 2 cups of milk, the pinch of salt, and the cinnamon in a saucepan on the stove. If you're using half a vanilla bean, split it, scrape it out, and add the scrapings and the bean to the saucepan now as well.
2. Add the sugar and turn the heat to medium. Do not stir! (I think this no-stirring rule does two things: it prevents the milk from burning at the bottom of the pan, and it also caramelizes the sugar slightly).
3. While waiting for the milk to come to a rolling boil, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of milk with the cornstarch or flour, and whisk thoroughly to remove lumps. Add the two egg yolks and whisk thoroughly again.
4. When the milk has come to a full boil, remove it from the heat. If you used cinnamon powder or there are bits of scalded milk floating around, or if there is a layer of cream at the top of the pot, it's probably a good idea to pour the milk through a strainer into another pot. Once strained, return it to the saucepan.
5. Take a ladle of the milk and pour it into the milk/cornstarch/egg yolk mixture. Stir the mixture firmly to avoid clumping. Pour another ladle of milk into this mixture. Stir again.
6. Slowly pour the milk/cornstarch/yolk mixture into the saucepan with the milk and sugar mixture. Return it to the heat on a low flame, stirring constantly.
7. Once you feel the mixture start to firm up, decide how solid you want it. As I said, I prefer mine to be a little runny, so I try not to let it get too solidified. Once it starts to get solid, it gets thicker very quickly. Keep in mind that as the pudding cools, it will solidify more.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract, rum extract, and butter. Mix well.
9. Let the pudding cool completely and then pull out the cinnamon stick and vanilla stick if you were using them.
10. Once cooled, transfer the pudding to a glass or plastic container and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. It tastes delicious with sliced banana.
Modified slightly from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/creamy-vanilla-pudding/detail.aspx
That one pudding sparked a minor obsession -- I was on a mission to find the perfect recipe for vanilla pudding. I'm not really a fan of that wobbly, jello-like consistency, so I like to leave it a little less "set" and it tastes a great deal like the custard of my childhood. I tried several different recipes without much success, and then finally came across this one. It's pretty amazing. It's surprising how easy it is to mess up a pudding! This recipe makes it pretty foolproof.
Serves 4-5 people.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups milk, divided (this means to hold the 1/2 cup separately from the 2 cups). I used skim milk, but any kind would be fine.
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (I like to use light brown sugar, or at least half light brown sugar, half white sugar)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch (in a pinch, you can use 6 Tablespoons of all purpose flour instead)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used a few drops of vanilla flavor and half a vanilla bean because I couldn't get access to pure vanilla extract)
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (or just use a teaspoon of rum), optional
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Directions:
1. Place 2 cups of milk, the pinch of salt, and the cinnamon in a saucepan on the stove. If you're using half a vanilla bean, split it, scrape it out, and add the scrapings and the bean to the saucepan now as well.
2. Add the sugar and turn the heat to medium. Do not stir! (I think this no-stirring rule does two things: it prevents the milk from burning at the bottom of the pan, and it also caramelizes the sugar slightly).
3. While waiting for the milk to come to a rolling boil, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of milk with the cornstarch or flour, and whisk thoroughly to remove lumps. Add the two egg yolks and whisk thoroughly again.
4. When the milk has come to a full boil, remove it from the heat. If you used cinnamon powder or there are bits of scalded milk floating around, or if there is a layer of cream at the top of the pot, it's probably a good idea to pour the milk through a strainer into another pot. Once strained, return it to the saucepan.
5. Take a ladle of the milk and pour it into the milk/cornstarch/egg yolk mixture. Stir the mixture firmly to avoid clumping. Pour another ladle of milk into this mixture. Stir again.
6. Slowly pour the milk/cornstarch/yolk mixture into the saucepan with the milk and sugar mixture. Return it to the heat on a low flame, stirring constantly.
7. Once you feel the mixture start to firm up, decide how solid you want it. As I said, I prefer mine to be a little runny, so I try not to let it get too solidified. Once it starts to get solid, it gets thicker very quickly. Keep in mind that as the pudding cools, it will solidify more.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla extract, rum extract, and butter. Mix well.
9. Let the pudding cool completely and then pull out the cinnamon stick and vanilla stick if you were using them.
10. Once cooled, transfer the pudding to a glass or plastic container and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. It tastes delicious with sliced banana.
Modified slightly from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/creamy-vanilla-pudding/detail.aspx
