Lemon Buttermilk Pudding

I’ve been in a buttermilk mood lately. So, the recent Buttermilk Bread post.

And the Three Cabbage Cole Slaw.

I promised I’d come up with a dessert — specifically pudding — based on buttermilk.

Here it is! Tangy with lemon but with enough sweet sugar for a proper balance.

This is an excellent, light, refreshing dessert fit for summer.

Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding 

• 4 large egg yolks

• 6 tablespoons sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel 

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup unsweetened whipped cream

 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and is light in color. Heat the heavy cream and buttermilk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Gradually add the hot buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Stir in the lemon peel. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low-medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Let cool slightly, then stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Set aside in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. Fold in the whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes.

Makes 4 servings

Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

I usually don't have leftover challah, even when I make my giant size recipe. 

But for Yom Kippur I make TWO giant size challahs, one for the pre-fast dinner and one for break-the-fast.

So, for the kids, there's usually a hunk or two left for French toast.

But this year I had bits and pieces left over: crusts from the pieces that went into the French toast (for the kids who don't like crust). And a few pieces of "insides" left from the grownups who picked off some of the crust.

I hate throwing food away, especially something as delicious as challah.

Waste not, want not.

I put all the leftover pieces into a bowl and made it into chocolate bread pudding.

You can't go wrong mixing challah, milk, sugar and chocolate.

Chocolate Challah Pudding

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 12 ounces leftover challah,including crusts, (about 7-8 loosely packed
•                                                                         cups of small pieces)
• 3 cups whole or 2% milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Butter a large, deep baking dish or (8-cup) souffle dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Break the bread into pieces into a bowl. Pour the milk over the bread and let it soak for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so all pieces of bread absorb some milk. In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the eggs with the sugar for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir in the melted chocolate. Mix in the bread-milk mixture. Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place the dish inside a larger pan. Add enough water to the outer pan to come up one-inch of the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Makes 8 servings

Graham Cracker Pudding Cake

When you have kids and tell them the same stories over and over they eventually roll their eyes at you, even sometimes when they think you can’t see what they’re doing, as if, okay, “I have to hear this one again.”

Like the one about how my mother made this graham cracker and pudding cake when my brothers and I were youngsters.

Everybody’s mother made this one. Some moms used one flavor of pudding. Mine always layered the cake with two flavors, chocolate and vanilla pudding. She used packaged pudding of course. My-T-Fine, back in the day when My-T-Fine pudding had like 5 or 6 ingredients and the list of additives didn’t take up several lines.

Anyway, so now since my grown children know the story about how my mom made it and will burst if I ever tell it again, it’s time to tell my grandchildren.

Which I did.

Last weekend Lila, age 6, and Nina, age 5, helped me make graham cracker pudding cake.

We made the pudding from scratch. It has like 5 or 6 ingredients and no additives.

Instead of vanilla we made butterscotch pudding.

A good time was had by all, rolled eyes or not. And I can assure you, this was a big, big winner. The kind of dessert you can talk about and repeat a story about for generations.

So for all of you out there whose moms or grandmas made this cake way back when, here’s a good recipe:

Graham Cracker Pudding Cake

about 20 whole graham crackers (I used Nabisco honey grahams)

one recipe chocolate pudding

one recipe butterscotch pudding

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

2-3 teaspoons sugar

grated chocolate

Place half the graham crackers inside a 9”x13” cake pan. Spoon the chocolate pudding on top. Cover with the remaining graham crackers. Place the butterscotch pudding on top. Whip the cream until thickened. Add the sugar and continue to whip until thick. Spread on top of the pudding. Garnish with grated or shaved chocolate. Makes 12-16 servings

Chocolate Pudding:

3 cups whole milk

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat 2-1/2 cups of milk until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. In the meantime, sift the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and mix ingredients until smooth. Add the heated milk, blend thoroughly with a whisk and return the mixture to the pan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pudding is smooth and thick. Let cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon into dessert dishes if not used for pudding cake. Chill and serve. Makes 6 regular dessert servings

Butterscotch Pudding: 

3 cups whole milk

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 tablespoons butter, optional

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat 2-1/2 cups of milk until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. In the meantime, sift the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt together into a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and mix ingredients until smooth. Add the heated milk, blend thoroughly with a whisk and return the mixture to the pan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pudding is smooth and thick. Let cool slightly. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Spoon into dessert dishes if not used for pudding cake. Chill and serve. Makes 6 regular dessert servings

Recipe for Easy, Creamy, Rich Rice Pudding

Question submitted by Bubby (ljsussman@earthlink.net):

I love rice pudding.  Almost any kind makes me happy - except the gummy kind from the supermarket that you mentioned your brother eats.  Yuck!

I always like the rice pudding they serve in diners.  It’s creamy and not too sweet.  I can’t imagine that the diner cooks bother with separating eggs like your mother did in her recipe. 

Do you have an easy rice pudding recipe to share?

Yes I do!

Rice Pudding is also one of my favorites. I have about a dozen recipes, a few for the creamy, sensuous kind you can get at a good diner. Try this one (you can ask for another whenever …). The rice is slightly al dente — you can tell it’s rice, which I like better than the puddings in which the rice is ultra soft.

Be careful not to let the mixture come to a boil after you put the egg mixture back into the saucepan, because that can cause curdling.

Creamy Rice Pudding

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup long grain rice (not instant or parboiled)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup cream (can be heavy, whipping or light)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

Combine the milk, salt and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the raisins and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cream. While the rice is cooking, combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat (use a hand mixer) for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup cream and stir to blend the ingredients. Gradually add some (up to one cup) of the hot rice mixture to the eggs (this helps prevent the eggs from curdling), stir and spoon the egg mixture into the saucepan. Stir to blend ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool. Serve warm or chilled.

Makes 8 servings

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My Mother's Rice Pudding

When I see my brother Jeff eating gummy deli rice pudding from a plastic container I wonder whether he grew up in the same house I did.

My mother made the best rice pudding there ever was and for him to stoop so low astounds me. I mean, if you aren’t going to cook her recipe or make some other homemade one, at least have the decency to buy an acceptable one at some restaurant or food shop.

And the worst part is that he enjoys it so much he hums after each spoonful. Honestly, the stuff he gets is as viscous as cement and with practically no rice in it. He sprinkles it with enough cinnamon to coat the top completely. Hey, why not just eat cinnamon if you like it so much? Have a cappuccino with cinnamon. Or make cinnamon toast.

My mother’s rice pudding wasn’t the thick and creamy kind. It’s more of a custard. She baked it so it had a crispy top. A bit different than most, but oh so delish! In honor of National Rice Pudding Day, here’s her recipe.

My Mother’s Rice Pudding

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins
• cinnamon to taste

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges and the liquid is hot. Stir in the rice and salt, turn the heat to lowest and let cook for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla extract with a whisk or hand beater until well blended and thickened. Gradually pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk-rice mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Return this mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature (or chill). Beat the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks. Fold into the thickened milk mixture. Fold in the raisins and cinnamon. Pour into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Place this dish into a larger container filled with one-inch of water. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy on top. Makes 6-8 servings

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