Every meal this festive season needs a fabulous dessert and if you haven't planned ahead, last-minute puddings are guaranteed to save the day.
A far cry from the much more tedious-to-put-together traditional puddings, these no-bake treats can be knocked up in an hour or so.
Diplomat Pudding:-
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 l full-cream milk
4-5 tbsp custard powder
7-9 tbsp sugar, add or reduce as per taste
85 gm jelly crystals, preferably raspberry or strawberry flavour
500 ml water
Method
For the custard
Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Take off heat and stir in the sugar.
When it cools, transfer 7-8 tbsp of the milk into a small bowl.
Add the custard powder.
Mix well to ensure there are no lumps.
Add this mixture into the boiled, sweetened milk and mix well.
Heat the milk again over low heat and keep stirring until the custard begins to thicken.
Take off heat, transfer into a large glass bowl and set aside to cool but don't let it set till the jelly is added.
For the jelly
To make the jelly, boil 500 ml of water.
Add 1 packet of jelly crystals into the boiling water.
Mix well till the granules dissolve.
Take off heat and let it cool but don't let it set.
Add the cooled jelly liquid to the custard and mix well so you have a light pink pudding with jelly flecks.
Refrigerate to set for an hour or so.
Serve chilled.
Editor's Note: You could reserve a little of the cooled jelly liquid and dribble on top of the mixed jelly-and-custard pudding and then put to set in the fridge.
You might like to decorate the pudding with a few pieces of fresh fruit.
For a sugar-free dessert use stevia powder instead of sugar in the custard. Each brand of stevia has its own stevia for sugar substitution ratio provided on its packing. And opt for sugar-free jelly.
Triffle Pudding:-
The Trifle Pudding recipe belongs to Mumbai-based Suzanna Deacon, who is a nurse. It was passed down to her from her Pune grandparents, who served the dessert on special occasions.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 l full-cream milk
500 gm fresh pineapple, sliced or canned pineapple
50-100 gm cherries, de-seeded, halved
200 cream, preferably fresh
400 gm tin condensed milk
4-5 tbsp custard powder
7-9 tbsp sugar, add or reduce as per taste
85 gm jelly crystals, preferably raspberry or strawberry flavour
500 gm vanilla sponge cake, thinly sliced
500 ml water
Method
Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Take off heat and stir in the sugar.
When it cools, transfer 7-8 tbsp of the milk into a small bowl.
Add the custard powder.
Mix well to ensure there are no lumps.
Add this mixture to the boiled, sweetened milk and mix.
Heat the milk again over low heat and keep stirring until the custard begins to thicken.
Don't heat too long as the custard will thicken as it cools as well.
Take off heat and keep aside to cool.
If using fresh pineapple slices, boil 3 cups of water.
Add the pineapple slices into the boiling water and cook for a few minutes.
Take off heat, remove the pineapple slices and keep aside.
You can preserve the sugar syrup for later.
To make the jelly, boil 500 ml of water.
Add 1 packet of jelly crystals into the boiling water.
Mix well till the granules dissolve.
Take off heat and keep aside to cool but not set.
In a bowl, combine the cream and condensed milk.
Mix well.
Line a flat glass baking dish with the slices of cake.
Spread the sliced pineapple, chopped cherries on top.
Add a layer of the cream-condensed milk mixture.
Then add a generous layer of the custard.
Let it set for 10-15 minutes.
With a serving spoon, spread the liquid jelly to form the third and final layer of the trifle.
Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or till the jelly sets.
Serve chilled.
Editor's Note: You may also make your own sponge cake from scratch with Nivedita Gangay's recipe for Honey Vanilla Sponge Cake.
For a reduced-sugar dessert use stevia powder instead of sugar in the custard. Each brand of stevia has its own stevia for sugar substitution ratio provided on its packing. And opt for sugar-free jelly.
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