Recipe for Mom: Breakfast Coffee Pudding
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!
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
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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.
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)