We made chocolate pudding yesterday. From a box of instant. Which I remember as being perfectly acceptable pudding.
Eh.
While the kids inhaled it, I didn't think it was that great (I only had a spoon, that was more than enough). Too sweet, not very chocolate-y, kinda gelatinous without being creamy.
Ugh.
I realized then that, while childhood favorites are just that, I should make more of a concerted effort to make some of these from scratch. Like the applesauce we made the other day. It's just better than the jarred stuff. No doubt, homemade pudding will be better too. And lots of things (like homemade frosting and sugar cookies). Perhaps only McDonald's french fries and Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts should remain store-bought.
So, when I buy the cream and gelatin for that homemade orange ice cream, I'm also picking up ingredients from Martha Stewart's recipe for pudding. It's a good thing.
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Vanilla or Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
Serves 4.
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate pudding)
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth; divide among four serving dishes.
Martha Stewart, Everyday Food (see links for numerous variations on the pudding, including Chai-Cinnamon!)
Try Dorie's - it's super yummy.
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate pudding that I loved as a child (and would probably love today if someone else made it) was a Jell-o product, supposedly "instant", but it had to be cooked and stirred. I remember it as being very rich and chocolaty (I can't make that word look right?) but I get very bored standing there stirring.
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