Puddin'

Chapter

1

The Classics

If you had to master one group of recipes in this book, this would be it. Basic in technique and elemental in flavor, these recipes will send you straight back to your life’s most satisfying dessert moments. What’s unique here is the way I achieve my results, generally staying away from extracts and shortcuts and instead favoring an extra step or two—­roasting bananas, infusing milk, using only the finest chocolate—­that separate these puddings from the pack. Road test these recipes and I think you’ll find that rather than being difficult, they’re designed to succeed. Most start out similarly: infusing milk with this flavor or that, thickening with cornstarch and eggs, heating into a custard, straining, and cooling. After a while the method becomes second nature, a new dessert language that you’ll nearly commit to memory over time.

Chocolate Pudding • { serves 8 }

This pudding has major sentimental value, since it was the first one I made for my current business partner, Noah, when I was working as his personal chef. He loved it so much he suggested we open Puddin’—­and the rest is history. When we adapted the recipe for the shop, we taste-­tested 15 different brands of chocolate, and the clear winner was an Icelandic brand, Noí Síríus. Any other high quality 70 percent cocoa chocolate will do in a pinch. I designed this pudding not to be too sweet or too stiff—­I wanted it to have some wiggle to it and allow the purest taste of chocolate to come through.

5 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

1 1⁄3 cups sugar

1⁄4 cup cocoa powder

1⁄4 cup cornstarch

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped

1. In a medium saucepan, vigorously whisk together milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until warm, 3–­4 minutes.

3. Add chocolate and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until pudding begins to thicken, 14–­15 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done. The pudding will seem fairly loose, but it will thicken up further as it chills.)

4. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula.

5. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill until completely cold, 2 hours.

Suggested pairing: Whipped Cream (page 70)

Vanilla Pudding • { serves 6–8 }

It may seem like heresy to some, but I love vanilla so much that chocolate comes in a distant second. Growing up, I got in the habit of dabbing my mom’s Madagascar vanilla extract behind my ears, and it quickly became my signature scent. I usually avoid using flavor extracts in my recipes, but this one is an exception—­the round, floral, and musky notes of good-­quality vanilla extract reinforce the flavor achieved by infusing the milk and cream with a scraped vanilla bean. And you can forget about vanilla’s reputation for being “boring”—­even sworn chocoholics are converted once they taste this version. One spoonful of this pure, simple treat, and you’ll see why.

2 1⁄2 cups whole milk

2 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

6 egg yolks

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan heat the milk, cream, and vanilla bean and seeds until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat and allow to steep 30 minutes. Chill completely in refrigerator, 1–­2 hours.

2. Add sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt to saucepan and whisk vigorously.

3. Place pot over medium-­high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, 5–­6 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done. Pudding will seem fairly loose, but it will thicken up further as it chills.)

4. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula. Whisk in vanilla extract.

5. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill completely in refrigerator, 2 hours.

Suggested pairings: Salted Caramel Sauce (page 59); Fudge Sauce (page 60); Cherry Compote (page 61)

Butterscotch Pudding • { serves 8 }

Ever since I was a kid, my dad’s nightly indulgence has been a single glass of Famous Grouse Scotch whiskey, which he nurses throughout the night. When I started rethinking butterscotch pudding, I used that ice-­filled glass with its slowly receding contents as my inspiration—­and Dad’s bottle of hooch as “research material.” Then I had some fun by cooking up some brown butter, which adds a roasty, toasty, nutty flavor that makes everything it touches taste a little bit better. I add the shot of dad’s Famous Grouse at the end for maximum impact. Dad, this one’s for you—­I promise to replace that bottle sometime soon!

For the butterscotch Sauce:

1 stick butter

1⁄2 cup heavy cream

1 cup loosely packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Pudding:

2 1⁄2 cups whole milk

2 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

6 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2–­3 tablespoons Scotch whiskey (preferably Famous Grouse; amount depends on how strong you want it)

Make butterscotch Sauce:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking until golden brown in color, 2–3 minutes. The butter should look like honey and smell like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

2. Add cream, brown sugar, and salt, then raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thickened, 4–­5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cover, and set aside.

Make Pudding:

1. In a medium saucepan, vigorously whisk together milk, cream, cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, and egg yolks.

2. Cook over medium-­high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, 6–­8 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done.)

3. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula. Whisk in vanilla and scotch.

4. Pour the warm butterscotch sauce into the hot pudding base in three additions, whisking until fully incorporated.

5. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill completely in refrigerator, 2 hours.

Suggested pairings: Peanut Brittle Bits (page 74); Salted Caramel Sauce (page 59)

Banana Pudding • { serves 6–8 }

There’s definitely a banana divide in my family. My mom, the banana-­hater, sits on one side of the fence, while the rest of us sit on the other, peeling to our hearts’ content. Me? I love banana shakes, banana cake, banana ice cream—­you name it! Creating this pudding, I knew I didn’t want to use banana extract or banana liqueur, so I had my work cut out for me. Mom and I discovered a method of roasting bananas whole in their skins; the bananas turn soft and gray on the outside, almost caramelizing. After roasting, let them cool for a while—­no one wants to peel a hot banana!

8 ripe medium bananas, skins on (about 3 1⁄2–­4 pounds)

2 1⁄2 cups whole milk

2 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

6 egg yolks

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place bananas (do not peel) on a rimmed baking sheet and poke all over with a fork. (Go ahead—­just let all your rage out on those bananas.)

3. Roast bananas until super-­soft, 25–­30 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.

4. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat milk and cream until hot to the touch but not boiling, about 7–8 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

5. Peel bananas and mash in a bowl, add to hot milk, cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, and cover. Let steep in refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

6. Over a medium saucepan, pour bananas and milk through a fine-­mesh strainer or wrap in a double layer of cheesecloth. Strain as much of the milk out of the bananas as you can, reserving banana mash for Banana Upside-­Down Cake with Malted Pudding (page 103).

7. Add cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt to saucepan and whisk thoroughly. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, 9 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done. Pudding will seem fairly loose, but it will thicken up further as it chills.)

8. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula.

9. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill completely in refrigerator cold, 2 hours.

Suggested pairing: Whipped Cream (page 70) and Vanilla Wafers (page 57)

Coffee Pudding • { serves 6 }

“We’ve never seen you drink so much coffee,” my friends have told me since I opened Puddin’, and it’s true. The long hours and often crazy-­early start times have converted me into a java monster. So when people ask me about my favorite flavor, I always tell them it’s this one, which I developed to taste like the perfect sip of espresso. There are lots of instant espresso powders out there, but by far my favorite is Medaglia d’Oro, which is widely available and contains more natural oils that help impart a direct hit of coffee goodness into every bite. Your taste buds first notice a touch of bitterness, followed by nutty and creamy notes—­and the perfect off-­sweet finish.

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 egg yolk

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together all ingredients.

2. Cook over medium-­high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, 10–­12 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done. Pudding will seem fairly loose, but it will thicken up further as it chills.)

3. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula.

4. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill completely in refrigerator, 2 hours.

Suggested pairings: Salted Caramel Sauce (page 59); Fudge Sauce (page 60); Brownie Crumbs (page 49)

Hevra’s Lemon Obsession Pudding • { serves 6–8 }

There were no lemon trees in our suburban Ohio backyard, but there might as well have been, what with the number of lemons in our kitchen when I was a kid. My mom, Hevra, is lemon-­obsessed, and never met a recipe she didn’t think could be improved by a squeeze of zesty, tangy citrus. To her, heaven is a jar of fresh lemon curd, which became the inspiration for this recipe, which packs a sunshiney zing any time of the year. I wanted something meltier and a bit less tart than straight lemon curd, so my mom and I came up with the idea of stirring a homemade curd into a pudding base at the end of cooking. Because there’s butter in the curd, this pudding definitely has a richer, rounder flavor than some of the others. Mom, this one’s for you.

1 1⁄4 cups whole milk

1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream

1⁄4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 egg yolks

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1 1⁄2 cups Lemon Curd

1. Make curd (see page 12).

2. In a medium saucepan vigorously whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt.

3. Cook over medium-­high heat, whisking constantly, until thick, ­5-­6 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done.)

4. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula.

5. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding, and chill until completely cold, 2 hours.

6. When the curd and pudding are chilled, in a medium bowl whisk them together until well blended.

Note: This recipe works beautifully with grapefruit juice, too. The only catch is that you have to reduce a larger quantity of juice to achieve the proper tartness necessary to make the pudding’s flavor really pop. To do so, in a small saucepan boil 3 cups fresh grapefruit juice over medium-­high heat until reduced to 1⁄2 cup, about 20 minutes. Cool completely at room temperature before using.

Suggested pairings: Lime Angel Food Cake Crumbs (page 48); Blackberry Compote (page 65), Marshmallow Crème (page 72)

Lemon Curd • Makes 11⁄2 cups

This curd is an essential ingredient in both Hevra's Lemon Obsession Pudding (page II) and our Lemon Lover’s Cake (page III). It’s also great dolloped into fresh fruit, over pound cake, or even stirred into a bowl of Greek yogurt.

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 3 lemons’ worth)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1. In a small saucepan combine all ingredients except butter, then drizzle in butter and whisk constantly over medium heat until curd begins to coat the back of a spoon, 3–­4 minutes.

2. Strain the curd through a fine-­mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing curd through sieve with a silicone spatula.

3. Cool 5 minutes, then press a layer of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd and chill completely in refrigerator, 1 hour.

Apricot-­Scented Rice Pudding • { serves 8 }

I’ve loved the flavor of rice pudding for as long as I can remember, but I often find that overcooked rice turns this classic into a major bummer. The solution came to me one day at an Indian restaurant while I was spooning raita, the traditional savory Indian yogurt sauce, onto my rice. I was struck by the way the firm, perfectly cooked grain was enhanced but not overtaken by the creamy yogurt. Then it hit me: why couldn’t I make rice pudding like this? I cooked the rice in milk then made a separate pudding and stirred the two together. You get firm rice, creamy custard, and a subtle apricot flavor.

For the Apricot Syrup:

1⁄2 cup sugar

12 dried apricots, diced (1⁄2 cup)

For the Rice:

3⁄4 cup long-­grain basmati rice

1 1⁄3 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons Apricot Syrup (without solids)

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

For the Pudding:

1 3⁄4 cups whole milk

1 3⁄4 cups heavy cream

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved

3⁄4 cup sugar

41⁄2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 egg yolks

Make Apricot Syrup:

Bring 1⁄2 cup water and the sugar to a boil in a small saucepan.

2. Remove from heat, add the apricots, and transfer to a bowl to cool at room temperature. (The syrup is ready to use right away, but the longer you leave in the apricots, the more apricot-­a-­licious the syrup will be.) Reserve syrup and solids.

Make Rice:

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. In a small, ovenproof saucepan bring the rice and 2 cups cold water to a boil. Immediately remove from heat, drain, and rinse the rice right away under fresh cold water. Drain rice in a fine-­mesh seive.

3. Return the rice to the same pot and add the milk, apricot syrup, and salt.

4. Cover the pot with a tight-­fitting lid, transfer the pot to the oven, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the milk is completely absorbed and the rice is plump, 45 minutes.

5. Remove pot from oven and let stand, covered, for at least 15 minutes.

Make Pudding:

In a medium saucepan whisk together the milk and cream, then add the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Heat the mixture gently until hot but not boiling, 5 minutes, remove from heat, and let steep, covered, until milk comes to room temperature, 20 minutes. Chill in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

2. Add sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks to chilled milk mixture and whisk vigorously.

3. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and cook over medium-­high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick, 5–­6 minutes. (Once you can lift the whisk from the pudding and it leaves a faint shadow, it’s done.)

4. Strain the pudding through a fine-­mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing pudding through sieve with a silicone spatula. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and discard. Fold rice and remaining reserved apricots and syrup into hot custard.

5. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap, cool in refrigerator 10 minutes, then chill until completely cold, 2 hours.

Suggested pairing: Cherry Compote (page 66)