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 30 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 star power. They return folks to their childhood and elicit big smiles as well as oohs and aahs. This pudding is particularly light and has a great bitter depth with the addition of 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 degrees 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 two hours then serve.
By Leela CydLeela Cyd is a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to [email protected]. Copyright 2023 Apartment Therapy. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
