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Home » Food

Variations on an egg-free pudding theme

Submitted by Debra Legg on Friday, 9 January 2009 3 Comments
So you're rolling along, pretty pleased with yourself at the relatively normal life you're able to give your allergic child. Pizza, cupcakes and cookies are under control, pancakes are perfected.

Then one day you hear this:

"Mom, I wonder what pudding tastes like? Will I ever get to find out?"

Arggghhhhhhh.

I got spooked on pudding-related projects a few years back, when an attempt at a lemon merangue pie turned out more like lemon soup in a graham-cracker bowl. I'd planned on getting back to it one of these days. Big Guy's sad question pushed that day forward.

Yes, I could have used a pudding mix or fed him Snack Pack. But we also avoid dye, and those products are loaded with it. Why someone adds dye to chocolate pudding is one of the great mysteries of the universe to me.

A fellow blogger with an excellent foodie site tracked down the recipe on a vegan cooking site that would become my base. I changed some ingredients, substituting cow's milk for the soy the creator use and boosting the sugar a bit. That one was odd for me; I usually reduce the amount of sugar.

The original recipe also instructed cooking in a double boiler, but I couldn't find mine so I winged it in a regular sauce pan. Be warned that this method takes patience, a good long book to ease the boredom and no coffee consumed before hand because you're going to be stuck stirring for quite a while.

The result:

"Wow! This is what pudding tastes like! I love it!"

Egg-free pudding

  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/8 cup c. sugar
  • 2 tbl. cornstarch
  • 1 tbl. vanilla

Put all but vanilla in a saucepan over low heat or a double boiler. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Place in serving bowl or individual cups and refrigerate until chilled.

Variations:

For chocolate, add 3 tbl. coco and use 1/2 c. sugar

For butterscotch, use 1/2 c. brown sugar instead of white.

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Copyright 2009 Debra Legg. All rights reserved.

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3 Comments »

  • Madhuram said:

    This is a nice and easy basic egg free pudding recipe to have on hand Debra.

    - 11 January 2009 at 7:24 pm
  • Debra said:

    I have to say, I was pretty pleased with this one myself. :) Particularly since it was in such demand at my house.

    It’s thick enough to serve as a cake filling as well, as long as you remember to build the icing dam first. And I think it’s going to pass for a cream pie, though I haven’t tested yet.

    I’ll update when I do. Stay tuned!

    - 11 January 2009 at 9:00 pm
  • Chris said:

    Hey, glad I could have a very small part in helping the your son out. You totally took it to the next level with that cake. Looks amazing!

    - 31 January 2009 at 8:36 am