My mom adores breakfast in bed. Who doesn't? In fact, she's got a pretty sweet situation with my father prepping her coffee and bringing in the paper nearly every morning. After thirty years at a job where she had to burst into action at a very early hour, she relishes her mornings of moving a tad slower. The only way I could see enhancing her caffeine and breakfast in bed routine is to shake up that coffee into a different, more celebratory form for mother's day. A well–intentioned fake out, if you will. Hey it's fun still being her kid and surprising her!
While this coffee pudding may not pass the mustard for every day coffee intake, it is a nice departure from the usual. It can be dressed down for a fun breakfast treat for Mother's Day or sit at the dessert table for a refreshing finisher to a rich meal.
I love puddings because they are easy to make and have a star power. They return folks to their childhood and illicit big smiles as well as oohs and aahs. This pudding is particularly light and has a great bitter depth with the addition of the fresh coffee grounds. It's not going to replace a morning coffee habit, but it's a fabulous addition to the breakfast in bed tradition for any coffee–loving Mama.
Coffee Pudding
Serves 4 to 6
3 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong coffee, chilled (I used Portland Roasting Coffee with great results)
1 tablespoon coffee grounds
Pinch of salt
In a medium sized pot, heat milk to a boil and then turn the heat off. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, coffee, coffee grounds, and salt until homogenous. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg-coffee mixture a little at a time.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In 4 to 6 ramekins (or tea cups as I used), pour about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mixture into each vessel. Pour boiling water into a casserole dish and place each cup of pudding into the hot water bath. Cook for about 1 hour, until puddings have set. The smaller the cup, the faster these will go, so check for doneness at about 45 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours then serve.
• Related: Vegan Dessert Recipe: Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Smoked Sesame Seeds
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)
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Comments (9)
Wow - I also love Laurie Colwin's coffee fluff for a Mother's Day (or any) brunch!
Rather than "pass the mustard," I think you mean "pass muster." (unless that's a cooking-related pun....)
Thank you, MarisaB, for beating me to it. :D
When you say "coffee grounds", you do mean fresh coffee grounds, right?
I am so going to make this, but where did you get the spoon???
Same question as Dee S, do you mean freshly ground coffee? I tend to think of coffee grounds as that spent stuff that I remove from the coffee maker and put in the compost after making the morning pot of joe.
Yes I mean freshly ground coffee... not the sludge at the bottom of your coffee pot! and the spoon comes from Daiso, a Japanese dollar store in San Francisco.
Hello? Waiting patiently for an answer. Well, kinda patiently...
Now, how did I not see Leela's comment before my last post? Sorry, Leela. Thank you so much for responding. Yeah, I hear coffee grounds and I think of fresh coffee that has already been used.