Vintage Cookery – Cooked Pudding

 

Made from scratch cooked puddings are so much tastier and healthier than those little packages of pudding mix you buy at the store.  With the rise in grocery prices making your own puddings from scratch are also much less expensive.  I’m not entirely sure where these recipes come from as they were on a card in my mom’s recipe box when I was a young teen.  I copied them onto an index card and have since replaced that worn out card by typing it out and adding it to my recipe book.  Well worn recipe cards can only mean this is a well loved dessert.

 

Vanilla Pudding 

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

In a saucepan whisk together cornstarch, salt and sugar.  Continue whisking as you add milk.  Over medium heat continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour into four custard dishes and chill until set.

 

Chocolate Pudding 

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

In a saucepan whisk together cornstarch, salt, cocoa and sugar.  Continue whisking as you add milk.  Over medium heat continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour into four custard dishes and chill until set. 

To use as pie fillings reduce milk to 1 ¾ cups.

 

If you like your vanilla pudding to look more yellow you can add a drop or two of yellow food coloring.  I use the vanilla pudding to fill cream puffs and eclairs as well as to make banana cream pie.  It is the perfect filling for a Boston Cream Pie too.  The chocolate pudding is great to use to make a chocolate cream pie as well.