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.  

Easy Homemade Chocolate Pudding

My mom made the best puddings; vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch, rice, and tapioca, but I love the chocolate pudding the best.  She seemed to "whip" these puddings up with little effort, but the reward was so gratifying for dessert!

As you may have figured out, I'm a big proponent of baking (and cooking) from scratch.  I want to know exactly what ingredients are in the food I'm feeding my family.  For this pudding, there are six...yes, 6 ingredients, however, here's what's in a box of Jell-O Chocolate Pudding:

Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Cocoa Processed with Alkali,

Disodium Phosphate (for thickening), Contains Less Than 2% of

Natural and Artificial Flavor, Salt, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate

(for thickening), Mono and Diglycerides (prevent foaming), Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, 

Artificial Color, BHA (Preservative)

Are you as mortified as I am?  It isn't "rocket science" to make pudding and know you're not filling your family with ingredients you can hardly pronounce.

Old Fashion Chocolate Pudding

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)

3 T cornstarch (cornflour)

3 cups milk (whole or 2%)

1/8 tsp. salt

6 oz. Bittersweet chocolate--I used  Ghiardelli 60% Cacao 4 oz. bars (1 1/2 bars)

1 tsp. vanilla

Heavy Cream for topping!

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Place on medium heat and slowly add the milk, whisking well to prevent lumps.

Lower the heat slightly so the mixture does not boil, but keep stirring.  When the mixture is hot, add the chocolate and change to a rubber spatula.  Heat on low/medium until thicken, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove and add the vanilla.  Stir to combine.  The pudding will thicken further as it cools.  

Ladle into small bowls (about 1/2 to 2/3 cup per person) and allow to cool at room temperature about 10 minutes.  To prevent a "skim" from forming, cut plastic wrap to cover the pudding, pressing the wrap directly onto the pudding surface.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours before serving.

I love a dollop of whipped cream on my pudding.  Whisk (or beat with a hand mixer) 1 cup heavy cream with 2 T confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. 

Now, doesn't that make you feel better that you know exactly what went into this dessert? Enjoy!

Memorable Roasted Banana Pudding with Homemade Vanilla Wafers

Last year, when Kelly was transferred to a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, our family and her closest friend took a break to get a bite to eat at a quaint bistro near the hospital.  After everyone had eaten, the waitress brought the dessert menu and we ordered several of their special Banana Puddings to share.  It was probably the best dessert I've ever tasted and was so satisfying--in fact, the dishes were "licked" clean!  We went back on another day and repeated the same routine...it was that good.

I haven't made banana pudding in a long time, but thinking back on those last days, it definitely put us all in a hopeful mood, longing for Kelly to beat this and come home with us.  Looking at ripening bananas on my counter, I thought back to this time and wanted to try to recreate this feeling; not to mention I'm tired of making banana bread.

Nilla Wafers are the brand name of Nabisco's biscuits that are used in this pudding--which made it's debut in 1967.  The "no-bake" dessert combined fresh bananas, vanilla pudding, and the Nilla wafers in layers to create a beloved dish that families looked forward to at the end of a meal.  My mother made it in a large glass bowl and when it was time to serve, she would spoon up this luscious concoction into a dessert cup.  In the time between when my mother made the dessert and we ate it, the Nilla wafers would soften and become cake-like.  It reminded me of a very simple trifle, of course, minus the booze!

In addition to roasting the bananas, I decided to make my own vanilla wafers.  They're so easy to make and if you have a craving for this dessert and the grocery store is closed, you have an alternative.  I was thinking about all the families affected by Hurricane Irene this weekend and how this dessert ranks up there as a Top Ten Comfort Food.  I know, being so far away from family and friends, who endured this Category 1 storm, I needed something special today to let me know it's going to be alright and we'll get through this--that's what family means to me.

Roasted Banana Pudding with Homemade Vanilla Wafers
Vanilla Wafers:
14 T unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 large eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Powder
1 1/3 + 2 T King Arthur all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 275F-degrees.  Use a Silpat on a baking sheet on lightly butter a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Put butter in a medium glass or stainless steel bowl over heated water.  Beat with a wooden spoon or a whisk until light and fluffy.

Sift confectioners sugar over the butter and whisk in until completely combined.

Add two of the eggs and whisk once more.  Add the final two eggs and vanilla and whisk again until combined.  Sift the flour over the batter and fold in.

You can use a small scoop or place batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip to place cookies on baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool slightly on the sheet, then, transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

Raise the oven temperature to 350F-degrees.  On a small baking sheet, lined with parchment, place five bananas (with their skins) on it.

Bake 20 minutes and remove three of the bananas to a cutting board to cool completely.  Continue to roast the last two bananas for another 20 minutes.

The first 3 bananas should be peeled and carefully sliced in 1/4-inch pieces.  Set aside.  Mash the remaining bananas to use in the pudding.

Pudding:
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk and sugar, just to a simmer.
In a medium bowl blend:
1/3 granulated sugar
2 T cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
Pour the hot milk mixture over this mixture, whisking the entire time so you don't "cook" the eggs.

Return mixture back to the sauce pan and bring to a soft boil.  After the mixture thickens, remove from the stove top and add 1 tsp. Vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp. Banana Flavoring.  Stir well.
Add:
Mashed bananas
2 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Pour the pudding back into the medium glass bowl and set that bowl on top of an ice-filled bowl.

When the pudding cools down (about 30 to 45 minutes) add 1 1/2 cups of whipped cream.
(Whisk heavy cream in a copper bowl or use a hand held mixer.)

Assemble:
Place cooled banana pudding in the bottom of a dessert dish
Pace 3 vanilla wafers next, hen add the sliced roasted banana slices, distributing them among 6 dishes.

Add more pudding, then a few more vanilla wafers and finally whip enough cream to stread on top.  Chill dessert at least an hour before serving.

Likewise, you can make this dessert in one large dish and scoop out the amount for serving as my mother would do when serving it.

Banana Pudding is truly comforting and after a long weekend of worrying about our loved ones, it was just what "the doctor" ordered.  As Ari and Maddie would say..."All Done." Enjoy!

Very Vanilla Creme Brulee with Vanilla~Brown Butter Pizzelles

Creme brulee, like it's cousins, is an egg-based custard, however, unlike it's cousins, this has become a very elegant dessert to serve.  I first enjoyed creme brulee with Kelly, when she moved to Connecticut, in the 90s at a restaurant in town.  We loved the hard cracked sugared topping that hid below it the most wonderful, creamy, rich-tasting custard we'd ever experienced.  I was hooked!

I wasn't really surprised that this dessert would become a favorite because my mother made egg custard for dessert and I couldn't wait to finish my dinner so I could have mine.  Like egg custard and Flan, creme brulee is baked in a ramekin in a water bath--slowly.  The basic ingredients are similar, but instead of whole milk in egg custard, you use heavy cream and always, just the yolk of the eggs.  I think of this as a custard that would be the perfect base to ice cream.  Also, whereas, Flan has the sugar based caramel on the bottom, that is revealed when turned out onto the plate, creme brulee has the sugar added on top and then torched to a hard crack stage.

I took advantage of the most fragrant vanilla beans I have, from my friends Jeanie and Chico, who import them from Tahiti, to add an intense burst of vanilla to my dessert for company coming for dinner.  I've also made chocolate, ginger, and banana creme brulee, but I think vanilla is definitely my favorite.  However, feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors with this recipe.

As if the creme brulee wasn't enough, I also made up a batch of Pizzelles to accompany the smoothness of the creme brulee with the crispness of a simple (but addictive) cookie.  I'm actually on my second pizzelle iron because my first one "pooped-out" from use.  I've been making Pizzelles since the early 70s when my next-door neighbor, who is of Italian decent, introduced me to them.  Typically, they have an anise flavored, which I love, but my girls didn't share that trait.  I've been adding vanilla to them instead (or sometimes chocolate or finely ground nuts) to appease their taste buds.  The last few years, I've also used this batter and the iron to create Stroopwaffles, which is a Dutch cookie that's similar to Pizzelles with the addition of a thin-spread of caramel between two of the cookies.  Stroopwaffles are great with a cup of coffee or tea, but I chose Pizzelles tonight to go with the creme brulee and pumped up their flavor with browning the butter and a good dose of vanilla. 

Very Vanilla Creme Brulee
3 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
2 Vanilla beans, split and scraped 

5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
Tubinado Raw Sugar for the topping

Special equipment:
4 or 6 ounce ceramic ramekins
Kitchen torch


Preheat oven to 300F-degrees and prepare a 9" x 13" baking, with a kitchen towel on the bottom (if you don't have a rack).
In a medium sauce pan, over a low heat, combine the heavy cream and the vanilla beans and bring to just below a  boil (you should see bubbles appear around the edges of the cream).  Turn off heat and let steep 15 to 20 minutes.  In the meantime, separate the eggs, reserving the whites for another recipe (I plan on making French macaroons).  Also, have a tea kettle filled with water, heating on the stove.

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt until lightly colored.  Place the cream mixture back on the stove top and reheat again until bubbles appear around the edges.  Remove from the heat and gradually add it to the egg yolk mixture, whisking thoroughly while you're pouring the cream.

Strain the custard into a large (4 cup +) glass measure with a spout--this will make it easy to pour into the ramekins.  

I selected 6-ounce ramekins, so this recipe will make 4 desserts.  However, you can do the 4-ounce and get 6 to 8 desserts.  Pour into the ramekins, then add boiling water half-way up the sides of the ramekins.

Cover the pan, lightly, with aluminum foil, and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the edges are set.  For the smaller ramekins, bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the ramekins to a rack to cool completely.  Cover each ramekin individually with plastic wrap; this will create the necessary "moistness" to allow the sugar to adhere to the top.
Just before serving, sprinkle the tops with the Turbinado sugar and use the kitchen torch (as directed) to melt it.

Add a few raspberries for garnish and you have a very elegant dessert!


Vanilla~Brown Butter Pizzelles
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and browned 
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped or 1 T vanilla extract
1 T + 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Special Equipment:
Pizzelle maker 

Preheat the Pizzelle iron while you make up the batter.
As directed (in a previous post) melt and brown the butter--set aside to cool slightly.
In the KitchenAid, using a paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the eggs until frothy.  Gradually add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Slowly pour the brown butter into this mixture, while the mixer is running.  Add the vanilla beans or extract and beat well.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the batter and beat just to combine.  The batter will resemble a thick pancake batter.

 I use a tablespoon-sized scoop to measure out the batter onto the hot iron.  I can bake two at a time.

Once the indicator light goes off, the pizzelles are done.

Use a small spatula to remove them to a rack to cool completely.

As you can see, while they're warm, the pizzelles can be formed into any shape.  I sometimes place them in a small bowl and then you have a cup to put ice cream with fresh strawberries over it--YUM!


Both of these desserts are simple to make, but can have your family and guests say YUM also.  With a couple of gadgets--Pizzelle iron and a kitchen torch, these recipes are worth adding to your file. Enjoy!