Homemade Vanilla Pudding

I felt I needed to give Vanilla it's due when it comes to pudding.  After all, it is the number one flavor of choice in ice cream!  Since my mom made both, I wanted to share this recipe and show you again how easy it is to make pudding and alleviate those "nasty" preservatives found in the box version.

Ingredients from the box of Jell-O Vanilla Pudding

Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Contains Less than 2% Natural

and Artificial Flavor, Salt, Disodium Phosphate and Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate,

(For Thickening), Mono- and Diglycerides (Prevent Foaming), Yellow 5, Yellow6,

Artificial Color, and BPA (Preservative)

I think what bothers me the most is definitely the BPA--remember it was banned from water bottles!

Vanilla Pudding

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Mix well in a 2-quart saucepan.

1 1/2 cups Half-&-Half

1 1/2 cups 2% Milk

3 large egg yolks

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 T butter

Use a whisk to slowly stir in the mix and cream into this mixture.

Heat over medium/low, whisking to prevent scorching until slightly thickening.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, slowly add some of the milk mixture to the eggs, whisking to combine.  This is called tempering and prevents the eggs from turning to "scramble eggs"!  Once you've added about half of the mixture to the egg yolks, transfer it to the saucepan.

Continue to cook the pudding, whisking constantly, 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens and begins to boil.  You can do the "finger test."  On a rubber spatula, dipped into the pudding, run you finger down the center. If the mixture does not cover the open area, it's thick enough.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract (I used Vanilla Paste so I could get the little vanilla bean flecks) and the butter.

Ladle pudding into six individual dishes.  Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Garnish with whipped cream and berries, if desired.  

Now wasn't that as easy?  Enjoy!

My recipe was actually a request from a new friend and her husband who came for a quick visit today.  A fellow North Carolinian and really someone who was familiar, but we had never met.  Her cousin and my sister have been best friends since our family moved to Maryland in 1954.  I'm happy to have a new friend and fellow baker that lives so close.