Vanilla Pudding from a Vermont Kitchen

For some serious wintery comfort, try this vanilla pudding from Carol Egbert.
By Carol Egbert

When I was longing for a bowl of creamy comfort and didn’t have either a block of imported chocolate or heavy cream in my pantry, I resorted to my favorite, pantry friendly, vanilla pudding.

I used a whisk to combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, then I stirred in the milk and egg yolks. I cooked the lump-free mixture, over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spatula. After five minutes, when the pudding had thickened and begun to boil, I lowered the heat and cooked the pudding for five minutes more, stirring constantly. I removed the pan from the heat, added the butter and vanilla extract, stirred until the butter had melted and was completely combined.

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I transferred the pudding to four serving dishes, gently pressed a piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the pudding in three of the bowls and put them in the fridge to chill.

I topped the fourth bowl with a generous teaspoon of mini chocolate chips, sat in the rocking chair close to the wood stove and enjoyed the chocolate flecked bowl of comfort and thought about my sister. She was never convinced that tapioca was delicious, not deadly, and so, instant vanilla pudding remained her favorite comfort food.