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Deb’s Caramel Pudding

April 22, 2010 by Joy the Baker 102 Comments

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

I love when my kitchen is full of hot sugar and warm milk that turns into caramel pudding.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

I love when my kitchen is full of new friends (see Jill, above) who aren’t shy about going in for a giant dollop of whipped cream on their caramel pudding.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

My new friend Jill, from The Dish’s Dish is absolutely obsessed with caramel pudding.  Browned and nutty cooked sugar meets whole milk and sea salt and whipped cream?  Yes.  Definitely obsession worthy.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

I invited Jill over.  I organized the simple ingredients in pretty bowls mostly so I could trick my new friend into thinking I’m super profesh… and…

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

we started cooking sugar.  If you’ve got a new friend in the kitchen, might I suggest that you cook some sugar together?  It’ll really set a happy tone for the rest of your friendship.  Seriously.   Bond over scalding hot sugar.  It’s the best.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

While the sugar cooked and browned, Jill and I patiently waited, and chatted about our mutual obsession with Mt Everest books and shows, laughed at how strange we are,  and took pictures of the stove.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

Once we whisked the cold milk into the hot sugar things got a little chunky… and tense.  Our budding friendship was put to the test.  Would the clumped up caramel dissolve?  Would the milk not curdle?  Oooh goodness.  Jill whisked.  I nervously took pictures of the electrical socket.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

It worked.  Everything worked.  Friendship in tact.  Pudding ready to be strained.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

Individually wrapped caramel pudding ready to chill.  We licked the spatula.  We licked the bowl . It was totally the right thing to do.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

Ooh!  I forgot to mention Jill’s awesome boyfriend Taylor.  He’s a dearheart.  He filmed our caramel pudding making shenanigans.  Thaaaat’s right!  A little video called Bake Out with Jill and Joy…. coming soon.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

But first… let’s just concentrate on the pudding…

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

and the whipped cream and sea salt that are about to top that pudding.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

and my Mom who couldn’t resist a bowl.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

and my new friend Jill who, come to find out, eats whipped cream and frozen M&Ms like… every night.   Let’s just concentrate on those things while our little video is in the editing shop.

Deb's Caramel Pudding with Jill

Just look at these two.  Too beautiful to be true… but they are… true.  It’s crazy.

Jill.  Taylor.  We’ve made caramel pudding.  We have the video to prove it.  We’re friends for life… or at last our bellies are.  I’m totally coming over for whipped cream and frozen M&Ms.  Trust that.

Stay tuned for Bake Out with Jill and Joy.  Coming soon to… you.

Deb’s Caramel Pudding

from Smitten Kitchen

serves 8 small servings or 4 caramel pudding lover servings

Print this Recipe!

Sweet.  Smooth.  Will force you to forget about boring old chocolate or vanilla pudding for the rest of your days.  Topped with coarse sea salt and whipped cream… you might think you’re Sherry Yard and your kitchen is Spago.  You’re not Sherry Yard and your kitchen is not Spago… but for a moment… ooh yes… it will be.

4 cups whole milk

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

coarse sea salt and whipped cream for topping

In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, vanilla and salt until smooth. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar with 6 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 8 minutes.  Be sure not to stir the cooking sugar.  If anything, feel free to swirl the pan around a bit.   Be patient but watch the stove like a hawk as caramel changes color quickly.  This is no time for multitasking.  Just stand there and enjoy watching your caramel cook.

Remove from the heat. Very gradually whisk in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk.  As you begin whisking it in, the caramel will get very dark and begin to seize with the cold milk.  Not to worry… everything will work out.

Return the pot to the stove and whisk over moderate heat until the caramel has dissolved again. Once again, watch this closely as the milk will foam up quickly as it comes to a simmer. Simmer over moderately low heat until the mixture thickens  just slightly and deepens in color, about 10 minutes.

Gradually whisk the cornstarch mixture into the caramel. Cook again over moderate heat, stirring, until the pudding thickens, about one minute.  The pudding may look and feel pretty loose, but will thicken nicely when chilled in the fridge.

Strain the pudding fine strainer set over a large measuring cup; if you are, you can skip this and nothing terrible will happen. Scrape the pudding into eight 1/2-cup ramekins and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours.

To avoid a pudding skin press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of each pudding dish as it chills.  Top with a generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a big ol’ dollop of whipped cream.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maura

    June 6, 2010 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Joy! I ran home to make this caramel pudding recipe as soon as I saw your video (caramel and sea salt = YUM)…

    The caramel turned out perfectly, but I ran into trouble, I think, with the corn starch mixture. When I added it at the very end the pudding thickened up, but it also clumped up a TON. Like, more than you could possibly strain out… So the final product was like 1/2 pudding to 1/2 starchy clumps.

    Any idea where I went wrong? Thanks!

    Maura

    Reply
    • Zoe

      May 19, 2011 at 5:42 am

      Oh me too!! I had exactly the same problems as you and Amanda – clumped pudding!! I’m thinking maybe we put in too much cornstarch – i.e. heaped tablespoons… the stray cats in my flat will like it though! ;)

      Reply
  2. Sibylle Hulbert

    May 28, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    Seeing is believing – great instructional video. Looking forward to many more.

    Reply
  3. Sydney

    May 28, 2010 at 9:18 am

    This looks fantastic…..I love ANYTHING sweet and I can taste this.yummmmmmmmmmy

    Reply
  4. Pete

    May 28, 2010 at 9:16 am

    this sounds and looks great…..will give it a try

    Reply
  5. Sophie

    May 27, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    Joy, I really want to make your recipe. Like right this second.I heard you mention in your video that you can put eggs in the pudding, but you didn’t. I just so happen to have SO MANY egg yolks in my fridge left over from a massive butter cream extravaganza from last weekend. It involved separating 24 eggs. It was intense. Now, only 19 egg yolks remain, thanks to my cleverness, but when I heard you mention adding eggs, my thrifty mind immediately went to work. How many egg yolks could I add, and when would I add them? Do I need a whole different recipe? Can’t wait to make this,
    Sophie

    Reply
  6. jen

    May 9, 2010 at 10:28 pm

    oooh, i just made this! the pudding was sweet, rich and delicious. the sea salt and whipped cream just made it all dreamy.

    Reply
  7. Cathy Breit

    May 1, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    i made this. the flavor was: rich, complex, simple, satisfying, leaving-me-wanting more. and yes. that makes sense. People. MAKE this.

    Reply
  8. Sophie

    April 29, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Have you read Into Thin Air by Jon Kraukauer (sp?) A must for anyone interested in Everest. Such a great book!
    This pudding looks amazing. Joy, you are my hero. And Jill, it was great to meet you too! Hopefully this is the beginning of many posts with Joy and Jill together :)

    Reply
    • The Real Jill

      May 12, 2010 at 4:13 pm

      Oh, it will be!

      Reply
  9. ann

    April 29, 2010 at 11:34 am

    so i made this and i came up with a really pale color pudding. like the color of the comments box.
    still it was delicious. thanks for the easy pudding recipe. even if i messed it up. i liked the taste. just wondering if you could pics up of the caramel. cauz i think that’s the bit i messed up.

    Reply
  10. SoMD_Baker

    April 28, 2010 at 6:19 am

    I pulled it from the stove right as it started to bubble, I guess it was too early.

    THANK YOU!

    Reply
  11. SoMD_Baker

    April 27, 2010 at 4:54 am

    Joy, what did I do wrong? I halved the recipe, but followed it to a Tee. I have caramel colored soup. Actually it doesn’t taste like caramel, more like sweet milk. I waited until it was deep amber, added the milk, stirred for about 10min with no thickening, thought maybe it would condense with the cornstarch. . . added the cornstarch and chilled. . . .still soup. Can corn starch go bad or loose is coagulating properties? Help! I want to make this right!

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      April 27, 2010 at 9:26 am

      did you bring the cornstarch mixture to a boil to let it thicken?

      Reply
  12. Rachel

    April 26, 2010 at 11:07 pm

    I was just wondering if you know the difference between caramel and butterscotch pudding, how to make it i mean. I know i love butterscotch pudding and the caramel sounds delicious too. Something with brown sugar versus regular sugar?? keep up the good work joy!

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Joy the Baker » Blog Archive » Bake Out with Jill and Joy says:
    May 27, 2010 at 12:09 am

    […] made Caramel Pudding with my friend Jill a few weeks back.  You were here.  You […]

    Reply
  2. Deb’s Caramel Pudding « Punch It In! says:
    May 5, 2010 at 5:50 pm

    […] Deb’s Caramel Pudding (from Smitten Kitchen via Joy the Baker) […]

    Reply
  3. The Motherload » Amy’s Notebook 04.28.10 says:
    April 28, 2010 at 4:02 am

    […] caramel pudding looks like the perfect ending to a summer dinner (@ Joy the […]

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