Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Snow White and Rose Red Puddings



The P's were our neighbors for over fifteen years. Mrs. P was a tall, large-boned woman who kept a house so clean that the odor of flax soap actually overcame the aroma of ginger and cardamom coming from her kitchen. Memories of childhood are funny things. My keenest memories of Mrs. P are the smell of her home at Christmas time and the fact that she had a son, my age, who was younger than his nephew. Way cool - at least to a five year old! My mother just shook her head, rolled her eyes and smiled - never said a word. My first exposure to the food of Scandinavia came from Mrs. P's kitchen. Her repertoire was limited, but the food that she made was incredibly good. Snow White and Rose Red are the names she gave to the puddings I'm working with today. Snow pudding is an incredible lemon dessert - it's so light and frothy that one bite will leave no doubt as to how it got it's name. Red pudding, more like a tart and fruity jelly, is delicious as well - especially when served with cream. Both are inexpensive, peasant fare that have become easy work with today's blenders and mixers.

Snow Pudding

Pudding Ingredients:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
Zest of 1 large lemon
3 large egg whites (pasteurized or reconstituted dry white equivalent)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Custard Ingredients:
2 cups scalded milk, cooled
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Pudding:
1) Sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Add boiling water and stir to dissolve. Stir is sugar, juice, zest and salt. Refrigerate until gelatin is softly set. Beat until frothy and thick.
2) Beat egg whites until stiff. stir in gelatin mixture. Beat together until stiff enough to hold its shape. Pour into dessert glasses and chill until set. Serve with custard sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

Directions for Custard:
1) Combine egg yolks, sugar, salt and cooled milk in the top of a double boiler. Cook, stirring, over simmering water until the mixture lightly coats a spoon. Stir in vanilla. Chill. Pour over snow pudding at serving time.

Red Pudding - Rodgrod

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds fresh raspberries or strawberries, washed, drained and hulled if needed
2 to 8 tablespoons granulated sugar (sugar to taste)
2 tablespoons arrowroot, potato starch or cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup fresh or whipped cream

Directions:
1) Place berries in blender jar. Blend until pureed. Strain thru a sieve.
2) Combine fruit puree, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.
3) Dissolve 2 tablespoons arrowroot in cold water. Stir into fruit mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil; stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Pour into dessert dishes. Chill for 2 hours or more. Top with cream before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

13 comments :

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love saying "Snow Pudding." And your moving pictures are really cool, too.

I made your Thai Crock Pot chicken this weekend. It was a big hit!-Lorie

Mary Bergfeld said...

L, I'm so glad you tried and enjoyed the chicken. It's a favorite around here as well.

RecipeGirl said...

I've never heard of either but they look so, so pretty. I never think to make pudding for dessert, but it's a great idea :)

Allie said...

Love the color on the red pudding they both look so pretty and sound tasty.

Maria said...

What beautiful desserts. I love the moving photos too!

Anonymous said...

Very pretty and wonderful story. Love the pictures.

Live.Love.Eat said...

Hi there. I came over from Picky Palate. Love your blog, the food looks outstanding!!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Steph, I hope you'll stop by often. Thanks so much for the compliment.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary, looking lovely I bet it taste delish I wonder if I can use Kanten for the gelatin?

Mary Bergfeld said...

Hi GJ,

In theory you can - kanten is sold in powdered, flaked, crinkled strands or in a block. The powdered form being the easiest to use in the kitchen because it dissolves in water easily. Set 2 cups of liquid using 2 teaspoons powder, 2 Tablespoons flakes or 1 bar, broken up into pieces. Bring water and agar-agar to a boil, stirring for 2 minutes then add what ever flavoring you would like. Highly acidic ingredients may need extra agar-agar to set, such as lemons, strawberries and things containing vinegar. Ingredients high in enzymes such as pineapple, mangoes or papaya will need to be cooked before agar-agar is added because the enzymes will break down the agar-agar inhibiting the gelling process. If you want to have a softer outcome try playing with using a high liquid ratio.

I think the ratio of kanten/gelatin is one to one, but check to make sure.

Anonymous said...

This is very helpful Mary!!! Thank you sincerely for answering, I have so much left and wanted to use that before buying the traditional gelly, do you have a preference would you prefer to work with, collagen type or vegetable, powder/sheets?

Cheers!

Mary Bergfeld said...

GJ, my choice would always be powder!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Love your new photos. I have award for you on my blog.

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