Kevin and I just returned from our trip to visit family for lunar new year. We’ve only been back a day and a half and have been trying our best to combat jet lag. Kevin tried to stay up for as long as he can, but ended up falling asleep during the day. I managed to sleep through most of the night, but still ended up taking three naps throughout the day. Before going to bed last night, I prepared a variation of my baked rigatoni and also a few maple almond pudding cups for a light dessert the next day. My maple almond pudding cups are a simple, delicious take on pudding featuring some of my favorite flavors. I was inspired to make this simple dessert after tasting some of the best, simple, and light desserts throughout Asia. During our trip, we enjoyed some red bean soup, slightly sweet black sesame rolls, light cakes, and a variety of other simple desserts. Each dessert I ate reminded me of how delicious the simplest Asian desserts can be. My maple almond pudding cups are just slightly sweet, nutty, and has a consistency similar to dao fu fa (a tofu dessert served throughout Asia). It’s one of my favorite desserts to make using just a few items from my kitchen pantry. The pudding cups take about 20 minutes to prepare and are placed in the refrigerator to set. The next day, I drizzled some more maple syrup onto the tops of the pudding cups and topped them with whole almonds before serving. My maple almond pudding cups made for the perfect light afternoon snack. I enjoyed a maple almond pudding cup as an attempt to combat my jet lag. My thinking was if I was eating, I can’t be sleeping. It didn’t take long for me to feel sleepy again. Shortly after enjoying a pudding cup, my jet lag kicked in again and I found myself drawn to my favorite corner on the couch for a nap.
For the maple almond pudding cups:
· 4 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
· ½ teaspoon almond extract
· ¼ cup cornstarch
· 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
· maple syrup, for serving
· whole almonds, for serving
Directions:
1) Set aside four mini glass jars on a serving plate.
2) Heat a Dutch oven pot on medium heat. Pour in two cups of unsweetened almond milk and almond extract. Let the almond milk and extract come to a simmer. In a separate measuring cup or bowl, add the cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour in the two cups of unsweetened almond milk combined with the cornstarch into the Dutch oven pot. Add the pure maple syrup into the Dutch oven pot. Whisk the entire mixture until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
3) Once the mixture begins to thicken, divide the mixture equally into the four glass jars. Use plastic wrap to seal the tops of the glass jars. Press the plastic wrap directly onto the tops of the pudding mixture in each glass jar. Place the jars in the refrigerator to set overnight.
4) To serve, drizzle some maple syrup onto the top of each pudding cup. Place a whole almond into each of the pudding cups.
Takeaways: The pudding cups are very versatile. You can top the pudding cups with fresh fruit (such as berries) for a more refreshing dessert. My maple almond pudding cups have a texture similar to dao fu fa. If you want thicker pudding cups, increase the cornstarch by an additional 1-2 tablespoons. Feel free to substitute other non-dairy milks for an alternative spin on the dessert.