Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Cafe Au Lait Pudding



This pudding didn't come out well. I’d never really made pudding before, other than banana pudding, and I think I did some things wrong. My pot was too hot, and I didn’t get my cornstarch mixed in well enough, so there were...bits in it.

The taste was alright, but it wasn’t quite sweet enough (and I don’t even like overly sweet things) and the coffee flavor was a bit too strong.

I’m going to try again soon, though! I’ll let you know how it goes.

cafe au lait pudding

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try for yourself.

Cafe Au Lait Pudding
from Gourmet

2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon for sprinkling

Whisk together milk, coffee granules, cornstarch, 1/4 cup sugar, and a small pinch of salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer to a metal bowl set in an ice bath and cool, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Pour into cups or ramekins and chill, uncovered, 20 minutes.
Beat cream with vanilla and remaining 2 tablespoon sugar using an electric mixer just until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream onto puddings and dust cream lightly with cinnamon.

24 comments:

  1. There's a great butterscotch pudding recipe in one of the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks--The New Best Recipe, I think. I love CI because it gives you the science behind the recipe, then you can know why certain steps are important. Even with the butterscotch pudding, the recipe calls for putting the pudding through a fine mesh strainer to get the lumps out, so maybe you didn't do anything wrong after all. :-)

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  2. Aww...sorry! I love that you share your not-so-good outcomes...makes the rest of us, not-so-fabulous cooks feel good! :) HEEHEE! I must say, though, the pictures of the pudding LOOK GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT! :)

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  3. Well it looks great, even though it wasn't so tasty! :)

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  4. Sorry they didn't come out perfect but I bet the flavor profile is delicious!

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  5. bummer it didn't turn out... the photos are lovely for sure though!

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  6. It certainly looks good! Dang, now I'm craving pudding....

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  7. Too bad it didn't turn out the way you like it...Cafe Au Lait sounds really good. The pudding recipe that we usually use calls for 1/3 cup of sugar per 2 cups of milk, or 1/2 cup of sugar for chocolate pudding. Better luck next time. Your photos are great, as usual.

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  8. It looks gorgeous though! Pudding can be a little tricky sometimes. When I get lumps, I usually take the handmixer out and it usually takes care of it...unless I get carried away and process too much. Then the thickened mixture turns into a liquid!

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  9. Try mixing the cornstarch with the sugar first before adding it to the milk to prevent it from clumping. I made tons of pastry cream (which is basically pudding) when I worked for a restaurant and made all the desserts and we creamed together the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch before tempering it with the hot milk mixture. Never had a clump of cornstarch in the all the hundred plus times I made it. :)

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  10. Oh well, at least they look pretty! Better luck next time!

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  11. Saw this recipe in Gourmet and have been thinking about giving it a try! Your puddings look beautiful... sorry you didn't love how they turned out!

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  12. The idea of coffee flavored pudding sounds just fabulous to me! and it looks delish.

    Always a disappointment when things don't turn out quite right... but it's a great opportunity to try again, which means MORE PUDDING!

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  13. It looks delicious, anyhow! I'd love to try it out.

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  14. they look adorable anyway, I love the mason jars, it gives the whole thing such a rustic feel.

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  15. Even if you weren't happy with the pudding, you should be very happy with your redesign. It looks gorgeous.

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  16. It's encouraging to know you have off days too...I seem to be doing much better with desserts than dinners. But, I'm keeping Burger King in business. Happy anniversary too!

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  17. It certainly looks good! I'm sure it will be perfect the next time.

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  18. Oh wow! The description and pictures of this look SO good that my mouth is watering! I can;t wait to make this! Your photography skills are top-notch! Keep up the great work!

    -Jenniffer
    http://cupadeecakes.blogspot.com

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