Pecan Pudding from ‘Cooking From The Cupboard’

Last night I tried a recipe, Pecan Pudding, out of the cookbook Cooking from the Cupboard: Meals in Minutes from Your Pantry by Jeanne Jones, a book that I found in my mom’s cookbook collection after she passed away a couple years ago. It was published in 2003 and appears to be out of print now – though it lives on in used book heaven at Amazon. It has been a fun book over the years to use for inspirations and ideas for canned goods. The book is worth picking up if you store canned goods in your household, it will help you keep your items rotated and be used – and the many of the recipes are downright good as well.

While the recipe worked and came out fine, the taste was missing something. It did taste better this afternoon (we had one cup leftover from dessert last night). Still not sure what was missing – it needed a perk. Be it a pinch of salt, more sugar or caramel added – it was a bit bland and not overly sweet. Still, I liked the texture of the pudding and was simple to make. Here is my version of the recipe with the tweaks I did last night. Most likely I would add a pinch of kosher salt and make it 1/2 cup sugar next time. Even better would be candied pecans – even toasted, the pecans were bland tasting.

Pecan Pudding

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced pecans (I used a mini chopper)

2 Tbsp cool water

1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin (3/4 of a packet)

12 ounces low fat dairy milk

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast the pecans for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Divide the pecans between 4 6-ounce heatproof custard cups.

Meanwhile, place the water in a small cup and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes while you do the rest.

In a small saucepan (say 4 cup size), combine the milk, brown sugar and butter and bring to just boiling point over medium heat. As soon as bubbles start, turn off the heat and whisk in the gelatin and vanilla. Stir till the gelatin melts in fully.

Divide the hot pudding between the four bowls. Let cool for a few minutes on the counter then store in teh refrigrator for at least 4 hours. The pudding will set up firmly.

Serves 4.

~Sarah