You mean you don't just add milk?

After doing my weekly grocery shopping I decided to spend my Friday night doing some cooking and baking, two things I absolutely love to do.

In terms of baking I made the most wonderful Lemon Strawberry squares. I am dying to try some of them with my afternoon tea tomorrow. (I was bad and had one before they had time to cool. I burned my mouth but it was so worth it :) They are very yummy).

Since one dessert wasn't enough after the stressful week I've had, I decided to make a pudding. From scratch. Now I know most people just buy a box of instant pudding, add a little milk and call it done, but that is not the old-fashioned way. Real pudding tastes so much better and more natural than the "powder puddings" most people eat nowadays. It's also super easy to make.

I don't use the stove-top method since it is so easy to burn the milk that way. Well that may just be because I am too lazy to constantly stir it but I have found the perfect solution. The Microwave!

I got this recipe out of my Milks Microwave Cookbook. It was published in 1989 so some of the microwave cooking times are a little off but I definitely recommend it for super easy, and yummy, desserts as well as the best Cream of Asparagus soup I have ever tasted (the best part about the soup is that it uses milk instead of cream so you get all the flavour minus most of the fat).

So here is a slightly edited version of the recipe, as well as some photos I took while making it.



Vanilla Pudding


Serves 2-4 (OK it says it serves 6 in the book but that makes the portions way too small...)


You will Need:

A large microwavable bowl

A whisk

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tbsp of cornstarch

A pinch of salt

2 and 1/4 cups of milk

1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (assuming you are making vanilla pudding)




Step 1: Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in the bowl.




Step 2: Slowly whisk in milk and continue whisking until smooth.




Step 3: Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Don't forget to stir it every two minutes or so. (Older microwaves tend to take slightly longer to bring the pudding to a boil than the newer ones but I recommend starting with 6 minutes and increasing the time only if it hasn't thickened).





Step 4: Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla. I always add more than the 1 and 1/2 tsp but it you feel like following the recipe then I guess you could (but in my opinion more vanilla is always better).


Step 5: Allow to cool slightly and pour into your serving dish (or dishes. I used some glasses since I couldn't find anything else.) Place cling-wrap or waxed paper directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming (I ignore this step when I'm making pudding for myself since I actually like the skin). Chill in the refrigerator for around 2 hours or until set.







And Ta-Da!! You now have pudding!!!