How To Make Homemade Pudding
Pudding is the basis for a few desserts you will see featured this week, so I figured I might as well make it a Baking Basics feature. Especially since homemade pudding is so easily adaptable you can make it into just about any flavor you want once you have the base recipe mastered.
For now, this is a short and sweet post that is fitting for an uncomplicated dessert. And for those wondering, yes, this is ten times better than the box stuff and not that much longer or harder to make. Homemade pudding takes about 15 minutes make. Don’t skimp the sieve portion.
No matter how much you whisk a few cornstarch pellets well form and leave a lumpy texture if left unstrained. To store place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming-that is unless you like it, in which case just cover at the container’s edge and refrigerate.
1. Combine cirnstarch, sugar, salt and milk in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously. Transfer mixture to a heat proof bowl and place over (not on) simmering water for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pudding is ready when mixture coats the back of the spoon. Add chocolate or preferred flavor and stir to combine. Add vanilla and stir to combine.
If you're serious about refining your technique, we highly recommend the Prima Tamp . SCALE: With a gram scale, you'll be better equipped to monitor parameters, produce consistent results, and diagnose problems. We favor those with low resolutions, reading in 0.1- to 1-gram increments, and recommend that you weigh both dose and yield.
VESSEL: Something to catch that liquid gold. A volumetric shot glass can help you keep track of how much espresso you're pulling, especially if you don't have a scale handy. Now, as Lil Jon once said, let's take some shots! 1. Fill your espresso machine's reservoir or hook it up to your water line. However your water is fetched, make sure it's cold, filtered, and not-too-hard-or-soft. Water treatment is an important first step: distilled water will do serious damage to your boiler, hard water will accumulate serious scale, and unfiltered water will taste seriously lame.
2. Turn on your machine and give it plenty of time to heat up. Depending on the size of your machine, this could take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. Don't assume that you're ready to go as soon as you're up to brewing temperature, though; instead, wait a little longer until the entire machine feels nice and warm. 3. Lock an empty portafilter in the grouphead and run the machine for a few seconds.
This brings fresh water to the front and heats up the parts that get closest to your coffee. Then, wipe off the inside of the portafilter and the underside of the grouphead so that they're clean and dry. 4. Grind a few beans to check for appropriate fineness and purge your grinder of stale grounds.
The coffee should clump loosely and appear powdery, but should still feel gritty when rubbed between your fingers. 5. Dose 18 to 21 grams of freshly ground coffee into the portafilter. As coffee exits the chute, rotate the portafilter so that the grounds settle evenly in the basket. Afterwards, use your forefinger to level the grounds and fill in any air pockets.
