Classic Vanilla Pudding Food

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
• Pour pudding into dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator.

CLASSIC VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks; add to saucepan.
• Whisking constantly, cook over medium-high until mixture thickens and is bubbling, 8 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking, 1 minute.
• Remove pan from heat and pour mixture through sieve into bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla until combined.
• Press plastic wrap directly against surface of pudding to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 3 days). To serve, whisk until smooth and divide among four small bowls.

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups of the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture until smooth, then gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it has thickened to a puddinglike consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Cool slightly, stirring a few times to prevent a skin from forming. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until completely cooled and thickened, about 4 hours.
• Before serving, whisk the pudding vigorously until smooth and creamy.
• Stir-ins:
• Cookies and Cream: Crush 20 chocolate wafer cookies, stir some into the pudding and top with the rest.
• Fresh Berries and Gingersnaps: Fold in 2 cups of fresh, mixed berries and top with about 12 finely crushed gingersnaps.
• Vanilla-Banana: Fold in 3 sliced bananas. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Fold in 24 crushed vanilla wafer cookies and top with more sliced bananas.
• Rocky Road: Fold in 1 cup each mini marshmallows and toasted chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips.
• Peanut Butter* and Jelly (See Cook's Note): Fold in 1 cup quartered red grapes and 1/3 cup each chopped roasted peanuts and peanut butter chips. Top with whole grapes.

CLASSIC BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Whisk 1/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch and egg yolks in a large bowl to make a paste. Combine the milk, 1/2 cup each heavy cream and sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Set the pudding aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Spread 1/2 cup pudding in a 2-quart baking dish. Layer about one-third of the banana slices on top, followed by half of the cookies and a heaping cup of the pudding. Top with another one-third of the banana slices and another heaping cup of pudding, then top with the remaining banana slices, cookies and pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, beat the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Spread on top of the pudding. Top with crushed cookies.

BASIC VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.
• Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.
• Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.
• Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.
• Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn starch and salt. Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add vanilla and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour into individual molds rinsed with cold water; chill until firm and unmold.

CLASSIC RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and butter a 1.5-litre baking dish. Put the pudding rice, sugar, vanilla, milk and cream in a bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and grate over a generous layer of nutmeg. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins until a brown skin has formed on top and the rice is cooked and tender.
• Leave to cool slightly, then scoop the warm pudding into bowls and serve with a dollop of jam on top.

VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl until smooth; whisk in cornstarch mixture.
• Combine milk, remaining sugar, and vanilla-bean scrapings in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly pour milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly.
• Return mixture to saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and transfer mixture to a medium heat-proof bowl.
• Whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Set bowl in ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Serve pudding with chocolate shavings on top, if desired.

EASY VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan. Gradully stir in milk.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 1 minute, sitrring constantly.
• Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Chill.

CLASSIC VANILLA RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a sauce pan, bring milk to a boil.
• Add rice and stir well.
• Cook covered with lid cracked for 40 minutes - 1 hour over medium heat,
• stirring every 15 minutes or so.
• Mixture should be thickened.
• Add sugar and vanilla and stir.
• Let sit for 10 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve and flavors to blend.
• Spoon into dishes and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.