PUDDING

Puddings are more than just the kind you make by mixing milk with a powder. At one time in Europe, any dish that was boiled referred to as "pudding". Even "Larousse Gastronomique" refers to pudding as "any of numerous dishes, ... which are prepared in a variety of ways." Today, the three major ways to prepare pudding are: steamed, baked and boiled.

Steamed puddings are not hard to make, but are time intensive. The ingredients are just mixed together and put into a mold. The mold is tightly covered with a pocket to allow for expansion. It then goes into a pot where the water only comes up 2/3 of the sides of the mold. The pudding is then steamed for hours. Christmas Pudding is a good example of a steamed pudding. Another favorite is a Cranberry Streamed Pudding.

There are several different types of baked puddings. Some types of baked puddings begin on the stove and finish in the oven like Rice Pudding. In others, the ingredients are just mixed and baked in the oven. My favorite is bread puddings. Bread puddings are usually made with day-old bread that is sometimes toasted. The bread is soaked in a flavored milk and then baked. Allie Prudhomme Fonterot's Bread Pudding is a favorite.

Boiled puddings are the easiest and quickest to prepare. They are constantly stirred until thickened. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. My favorite boiled puddings are the old standards: chocolate and butterscotch.

Mousse is the uncooked version of a pudding. It gives you that smooth, creamy texture, but it is not cooked. Mousse is usually egg whites or whipped cream that is mixed with a flavor like pureed fruit or melted chocolate.

You can find some more great pudding recipes in Puddings, Custards and Flans by Linda Zimmerman.