Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding with Crushed Strawberries

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jun 20, 2011 at 9:03am

old fashioned vanilla pudding with crushed strawberries

If the only vanilla pudding you’ve ever eaten is from a plastic Jello brand cup, then please make this. It takes about 15 minutes to pull together and will knock your socks off, gone.

You can eat the pudding warm right out of the pan (Stephanie style) or chill it for a bit to serve after dinner (the proper way).  Because strawberries are amazing right now, crush some with a little sugar (and a splash of booze?) and spoon them over the top. I don’t know what it is about vanilla pudding + strawberries in particular, but for me, it is a holy grail combination that tastes of childhood, my grandmother’s kitchen, and the world’s most perfect strawberry ice cream.

old-fashioned vanilla pudding with crushed strawberries

Mmmmm, nostalgia.

(If you’re loathe to waste the egg whites, then hold on until tomorrow for a recipe that just happens to call for four egg whites… Update: And here it is! Warm Fruit Souffle. Dessert yin and yang, right? Right.)

Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding with Crushed Strawberries
Serves 6

1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 Tbsp. sugar + 1/2 c. sugar (or even a bit less, depending on how sweet you like your…sweets)
4 large egg yolks
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. real vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, stir together strawberries and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Mash with a fork or potato masher into a chunky sauce. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in milk. Place pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat.

Whisk a ladleful of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, then whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pan of hot milk. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until once again thick and bubbling. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat.

Whisk in butter and then vanilla. Cool in the pan, stirring occasionally, then spoon into serving bowls and serve at room temperature or chill for an hour. Top with crushed strawberries right before serving.

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Older Comments

  1. By FreshTartSteph on July 7, 2011 at 10:20AM

    My dear friend Suz bought them for me at an antique shop!

  2. By BridgetteF on July 6, 2011 at 8:51PM

    Where are the dishes from? :)

  3. By FreshTartSteph on June 23, 2011 at 1:42PM

    HanaasKitchen - orange zest would be lovely! Only consideration is anything acidic will thin out the pudding; keep that in mind, play around with it. Fun!

  4. By HanaasKitchen on June 23, 2011 at 8:19AM

    Lovely blog you have here. I like it :o) The pudding looks so creamy and delicious. Your pictures make me want to make some. Ever tried adding orange zest to the pastry cream? I love citrus so for me, a hint of orange zest really kicks it up a couple notches.

  5. By Amy P. on June 21, 2011 at 6:50AM

    This looks heavenly, Steph!

  6. By Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets on June 20, 2011 at 11:10PM

    Mmm so delicious, especially the topping!

  7. By FreshTartSteph on June 20, 2011 at 5:44PM

    Ladies! Thank you for all the lovely comments! How fun. I hope you enjoy and yes, tomorrow's recipe makes a nice yin to this yang. All good fun.

  8. By GummiBears on June 20, 2011 at 1:20PM

    Awesome. I have a pint of strawberries from the farmers' market that I need to use up. This recipe I will try and to take it to another level, I will make it into frozen treats.

  9. By lauren on June 20, 2011 at 1:12PM

    OOOHHHH this looks sooo good! I can't wait to read tomorrow's post too. I have a couple baskets of fresh strawberries and a bunch of fresh eggs, perfect recipe for me!

  10. By AnonymousAndrea on June 20, 2011 at 1:10PM

    Can't wait to try this. yum

  11. By Imen McDonnell on June 20, 2011 at 10:20AM

    This looks so delicious!!!!! Still have loads of strawberries here to use...thanks for sharing. xx

  12. By Joy S. on June 20, 2011 at 9:45AM

    I adore everything about this entire post, from strawberry season's tardy arrival, your encouraged bowl licking and those gorgeous serving dishes.

  13. By Brenda @ a farmgirl’s dabbles on June 20, 2011 at 9:34AM

    That is so simply beautiful, Stephanie. A little bowl of comfort.