Clementine Pudding

It’s that time of year again when we often find a few remaining Clementines and we’re tired of eating them out of hand.  This is a good way to use Clementines and enjoy a bright, orange flavored dessert.

First, to prepare the Clementines:

Wash and dry three Clementines, remove stems and place in a microwave-safe dish.  Cover Clementines with cold water, put a lid on the dish and microwave on high for approximately 10 minutes.  Clementines should be quite soft and look something like fresh, ripe apricots.  Let cool in microwave – be careful, they get very hot.

Cut the Clementines in half and process as finely as possible in a food processor or blender (remove seeds if necessary but, yes, process both rind and flesh).

Makes about ½ cup.  Set aside.

Note:  Clementines can also be covered with water and boiled on the stove top for two hours.  Clementine puree can be frozen.

• Servings: 6
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¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt

1 egg
1 cup cold milk
1 cup hot milk
1/2 cup Clementine puree (See instructions above)
1 Tblsp. undiluted orange juice concentrate

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, salt, egg and cold milk.  Slowly whisk in hot milk and cook over medium high heat until mixture begins to boil. Lower heat to medium and continue cooking, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add Clementine puree and orange juice concentrate.  Stir and allow to cool in the pan, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Pour into six dessert dishes.  Good at room temperature or chilled.  Refrigerate leftovers.

 

Clementine Cheesecake Pudding

We love Clementines but always seem to lose our enthusiasm before finishing the last few.  This is one way to enjoy the Clementine flavor in an easy pudding, using three Clementines.

• Servings: 4
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3 Clementine oranges, processed (see below)

1 egg
¼ cup granulated sugar
Dash of salt
2 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 cup milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup frozen dairy topping (Cool Whip), thawed

Wash and dry Clementines, remove stems and place in a microwave-safe dish.  Cover Clementines with cold water, put a lid on the dish and microwave on high for approximately 10 minutes.  Clementines should be quite soft and look something like fresh, ripe apricots.  Let cool in microwave – be careful, they get very hot.

Cut the Clementines in half and process as finely as possible in a food processor or blender (remove seeds if necessary but, yes, process both rind and flesh).

Makes about ½ cup.  Set aside.

Note:  Clementines can also be covered with water and boiled on the stove top for two hours.  Clementine puree can be frozen.

In a medium saucepan, place egg, sugar, salt and cornstarch.  Whisk until blended, add milk and whisk until smooth.  Place on medium-high heat and whisk constantly until mixture begins to bubble.  Lower heat and continue whisking for one minute.

Remove from heat and stir in processed Clementines.

Whisk in softened cream cheese until smooth.

Set aside to cool to room temperature, then whisk in thawed dairy topping.

Divide between 4 dessert dishes, cover and chill for at least one hour.
Makes 4 servings. 

Apple Sponge Pudding with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

In the 1980-90s my husband I traveled quite a bit between our home in Blue Jay on the Ohio/Indiana border and Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida.  We always stopped in local shops or visitor’s centers to find souvenirs for the folks at home and I looked for regional cookbooks for myself.  I found the Bear Wallow small booklets to be full of good, old-fashioned, easy recipes.  This recipe came from Bear Wallow Apple Recipes.  I first made this dessert in 1995 and have a note in my binder:  “Made with our own Golden Delicious apples.  David (my husband) loved this – ate almost the whole thing for supper.”

It’s a sweet, flavorful dessert with lots of apples and a thin sponge filling baked on top.  The Cinnamon Whipped Cream was my idea and a good topping for this dish.

• Servings: 9
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1 egg yolk, beaten
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup water
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg white, beaten stiff
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 Tblsp. butter
5 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
Sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Have at hand a 9-inch baking dish

In a medium bowl, place the beaten egg yolk and whisk in granulated sugar.

Sift together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture alternately with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add vanilla. Fold in stiff egg white.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly on bottom of baking dish and dot with butter.

Pour sliced apples over sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg…

…then pour pudding mixture over apples.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
½ cup whipping cream
1 Tblsp.  powdered sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream, powdered sugar and cinnamon until cream is thick (don’t overbeat to form butter). 

Banana Rum Fluff

At the end of each week, I always seem to have a banana or two that should be used that day.  I have containers of banana puree in the freezer, I’ve made every kind of cake, muffin, pudding, cookie and bread.  I was looking for something different to use up some bananas and put together this chilled dessert which is very good with a strong banana flavor and a little kick of rum.  Easy and quick to make.

• Servings: 3
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• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tblsp. dark rum
• 2 ripe bananas, pureed
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
• 4 vanilla wafers
• 4 tsp. dark rum
• 1 banana for slicing

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 1 Tblsp. of rum until smooth.  Add pureed bananas ….

… and stir in the thawed whipped topping..

In each of four small dessert dishes, place a vanilla wafer and sprinkle each with 1 tsp. dark rum.

Spoon the banana mixture on top of the wafers and freeze for one hour or refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

4 servings.  Just before serving, add a few slices of banana to the top of the fluff.

Sort of Like Whip ‘n Chill

In the 1960s, there was a little box of powdered mix called Whip ‘n Chill which was mixed with water to make a very light and delicious mousse-like dessert.  On the rare occasions when my mother-in-law came for supper, I struggled to find something she would eat.  She didn’t like my cooking but one thing she seemed to enjoy was Whip ‘n Chill so that was always our dessert when Grandma Mary visited.

Whip ‘n Chill has been out of the regular grocery stores for many years and for a time could only be purchased at the Vermont Country Store.  Now, they no longer have it, but it is sold in bulk on Amazon.com at a pretty hefty price.  For our purposes, my version will do just fine.  If Grandma Mary were still with us, I wonder if she would like it.

Grandma Mary

• Servings: 6
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• 1 envelope (¼ oz.) unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups milk, divided
• One 3.4 oz. package of Cook and Serve Chocolate Pudding (not instant pudding)
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)

Soak gelatin in ¼ cup of cold milk.  When dissolved, place in a medium saucepan with the remainder of the milk and the chocolate pudding mix.  Whisk over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Whisk the whipped topping into the pudding mixture and spoon into six dessert dishes.  Cover and chill for an hour.

Makes 6 servings. 

Based on 6 servings – 156 calories/serving

Country Cherry Pudding

I found this recipe in a 1945 Calumet booklet – Favorite Recipes for Country Kitchens.  This makes a quick and easy dessert for lunch or supper.  As it bakes, the sauce becomes thick and cooks into the cake.  Cuts and serves nicely.

COUNTRY CHERRY PUDDING & SAUCE

• Servings: 4
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• ½ cup plus 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tblsp. Canola oil
• ¾ cup frozen tart cherries, thawed and drained

Sauce:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup cherry brandy or cherry juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease a 9-inch baking pan

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder salt and ¼ cup granulated sugar.  Add milk and canola oil to make a stiff dough.

Spread the dough in the bottom of the baking pan.  Dampening your fingertips with water will help spread the dough evenly.

Arrange the thawed/drained cherries on top of the dough.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, cherry brandy or juice, ¼ cup sugar and butter.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Pour boiling mixture over cherries.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes @ 375 degrees F.  Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm.

4 servings. 

Ham and Apple Pudding

If you have some ham left over from New Year’s, you might enjoy this dish that was inspired by one I had seen in an old cookbook.  I changed it a lot to make a light luncheon entrée that my daughters and I enjoyed.

HAM AND APPLE PUDDING

• 2 cups bread cubes
• 1 cup cubed, cooked ham
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 2 cups tart apple slices
• 1 Tblsp. dark brown sugar
• ¼  tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 Tblsp. prepared mustard
• 2 Tblsp. dried minced onions
• Thin white sauce (Recipe below)
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
• 1 Tblsp. butter

THIN WHITE SAUCE
2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
¾ cup cold milk
¾ cup hot milk
1 packet Goya ham seasoning (optional)*
Salt/pepper if not using Goya ham seasoning

*Goya ham seasoning is an easy way to add some extra delicious ham flavor to any dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Oil a 9-inch casserole dish

In the bottom of the casserole dish place the bread cubes…

…topped with the ham cubes.

In a medium skillet over medium low heat, melt the butter and add the apple slices.  Cook, turning frequently for 5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard, and onions.  Continue to cook and stir for another 3 minutes until apples are fork tender.  Place this mixture on top of the layer of ham.

Make the thin white sauce:
In a small pan, whisk together the flour and cold milk until smooth.  Add the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until mixture starts to boil.  Continue to cook and whisk for 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in ham seasoning or salt/pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce over the mixture in the casserole.

In a small skillet melt 1 Tblsp. butter, add crumbs and toss to coat.  Sprinkle buttered crumbs on top of casserole.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

4 servings

Leftover Biscuit Pudding

Normally, I make up my Biscuit Mix* and keep it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to make just a few biscuits for my daughter and me.  I use 1/4 cup of the mix and about a tablespoon of milk per biscuit.  This time, when I made up the mix, I forgot and added the full ¾ cup of milk and we had 10 biscuits which were good hot from the oven but not that great reheated.  Then, I remembered seeing a post on Syrup and Biscuits about her country grandma who made a kind of bread pudding out of leftover biscuits.  This sounded like a good answer to my problem and it was.  The pudding has a smoother, lighter texture than regular bread pudding and it’s very good – just like something Grandma might have made.

• Servings: 6-8
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• 4 or 5 baking powder biscuits (about 2-½ inches dia. )
• 2-½ cups milk, divided
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Butter or spray a 9-inch square baking dish

Crumble biscuits over the bottom of the 9-inch prepared baking dish.

Pour 1 cup of milk over the biscuit crumbles.

Allow the mixture to soak until milk is absorbed.  Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of the mixture.

In a 2-cup measure, place the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and the remaining 1-½ cups of milk.  Whisk until blended.

Pour milk mixture over top of biscuits.

Bake @ 325 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes until top is browned and mixture is set.

Best served warm.  Leftovers could be warmed briefly in the microwave.

Servings:  6-8

One-fourth cup of raisins or nuts could be mixed with the biscuit crumbles before the milk is added.

The pudding is very good served plain, but Syrup and Biscuits served her pudding with a rich bourbon sauce.  I opted for a lower fat version with a mellow bourbon flavor.

LOWER FAT BOURBON SAUCE

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water.
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 3 Tblsp. bourbon

In a small saucepan place sugar cornstarch and cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.  Stir in bourbon.

Makes about 1-½ cups of sauce

*Biscuit Mix

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening

This amount of mix combined with ¾ cup milk will make ten 2-½-inch biscuits.  Bake @ 410 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Refrigerate mix in a covered container and use ¼ cup of mix plus about 1 Tblsp. Milk for each biscuit.  This mix is also good for dumplings or as a topping for casseroles.

Summer Strawberry Dessert

I had a small amount of strawberries to use and wanted something for a lunch dessert that wasn’t too heavy or rich.  This recipe, adapted from one on Allrecipes worked out quite well.

• Servings: 5
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• 1-1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 (1 oz.) package of instant vanilla pudding
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 cup whipped topping, thawed
• 2 cups (1 pt.) of fresh strawberries, halved (divided)

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and pudding mix.  Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

In another large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add whipped topping on low speed until blended.  Add the pudding mix and mix on low speed until smooth.

Fold in 1-3/4 cups of halved fresh strawberries.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl or individual dishes.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, top pudding with reserved strawberries.

Makes 5 servings.

Mother’s Chocolate Pudding

One of my favorite dishes growing up was my mother’s chocolate pudding.  Along with her rice pudding, it became a life saver for me when I was sick or pregnant or sick and pregnant.  I could eat it when nothing else agreed with me.  It’s a very simple recipe and so much better than the little cups in the grocery store.  The main thing is to keep whisking until it’s done to a chocolatey brown smoothness.

• Servings: 4
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• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tblsp. butter

In a medium saucepan, place the granulated sugar, cornstarch, egg and salt.  Whisk together and gradually add the evaporated milk.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and 1 cup of hot water until cocoa is dissolved.  Add to the egg mixture, blending well.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to bubble.  Continue to cook for another two minutes, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.  Pour into 4 dessert dishes and allow to cool.  Pudding may be refrigerated but I like it best at room temperature.

Yield:  4 servings