Budino alla Vaniglia (Vanilla Pudding)

There are sweets with a timeless charm, capable of making you go back to the flavors of childhood or special moments of your life, like this vanilla pudding.

This delicious pudding, for example, made without gelatin, is one of the most popular homemade desserts because of its simplicity: the preparation, in fact, is similar to that of custard and needs a few hours of firming in the refrigerator before serving.
I have enriched the vanilla pudding with fresh strawberry coulis and berries to add a slight sour note, but you can personalize it according to your taste and creativity. Its lightness and delicacy are perfect to serve at the wedding banquet before cake as well!

This recipe is from my interview to Silvia Valli – wedding dresses stylist – on Lake Como Tourism.

VANILLA PUDDING WITH STRAWBERRIES COULIS

Total preparation time: 20 minutes          Cooking time: 10 minutes + 3-4 hours of cooling              Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

3 egg yolks
90 g (scarce ½ cup) sugar
70 g (2,5 oz) cornstarch
500 ml (2 cups) milk
1 vanilla bean

Strawberry coulis
280 g (10 oz) strawberries
50 g (¼ cup) sugar
3 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of Brandy

DIRECTIONS

1. In a non-stick saucepan combine the sugar and the egg yolks. Beat to a creamy and fluffy texture. Gradually incorporate the cornstarch and beat until completely incorporated. Add the milk and continue beating until the mix is smooth and homogeneous.
Slice down the middle of the bean to expose the seeds Be careful not to break it. With the tip of the knife, scrape down the length of the beans to remove the seeds and add to the milk mix. The remaining bean can be stored in a glass jar with sugar.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until a very thick cream is obtained.
Wet 4 pudding molds with water. I use silicone ones.
3. Transfer the pudding mixture to the mold, level the surface and let it cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
4. Prepare the coulis. In a saucepan, cook the strawberries, cut into pieces, with the sugar, water and Brandy for about 5-6 minutes over high heat until soft. Remove from heat and pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.
5. Turn out the pudding onto a serving dish and serve with the strawberry coulis and berries. – Paola