By Katie Goodman
Maybe you’re thinking: Why rainbow pudding for St. Patrick’s Day?
Well, St. Patrick’s Day folklore often revolves around the leprechaun, a short bearded fellow with a pot of gold. According to legend, the leprechaun’s pot of gold is hidden at the end of a rainbow. Those who find the pot of gold are granted three wishes in exchange for the leprechaun’s release. Since it is impossible to find the end of a rainbow, you’ll never uncover the pot of gold. Instead, you’ll have to test your luck with catching a leprechaun.
Many pudding recipes contain multiple egg yolks, which give vanilla pudding a yellow tint. In this recipe, I’ve opted to use fewer egg yolks than a typical recipe so that it’s easy to tint with food coloring, for a fun St. Patrick’s Day rainbow dessert for kids.
What are you doing to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with your kids? Do you have any fun St. Patrick’s Day quotes to share?
 |
Download the Recipe PDF Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs. |
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup 2% milk
2 cups whole milk
1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (clear if you can) or 1 vanilla bean
Gel food coloring (such as AmeriColor) in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
Materials
Saucepan
Whisk
6 small mixing bowls
Clear bowls, small juice glasses (clear), or tall shot glasses
6 disposable pastry bags
Notes: If possible, use gel food coloring instead of the traditional food coloring found in grocery stores. Gel food coloring produces vibrant color results with just a small amount of dye.
If you prefer more yolks in your pudding, try this simple substitution: 3 whole eggs in place of the egg-and-egg-white combination in this recipe. Additionally, decrease the amount of cornstarch to 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Directions
Classic Vanilla Pudding
Step 1: Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel). Whisk the ingredients to combine, then add 1/2 cup of the 2% milk to the sugar mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until combined and thick.
Step 2: Whisk in the remaining milk (2% and whole), cooking over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk the two eggs until gently beaten. Slowly add about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, whisking as you pour. Then pour the milk/egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk mixture.
Step 4: Cook over low heat for an additional 5 minutes – do not boil. Remove from heat; stir in the butter and vanilla (or vanilla bean).
Rainbow Pudding
Step 1: Add the pudding to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic against the surface of the pudding until airtight. This will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
Step 2: Divide the cooled pudding evenly into 6 medium mixing bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl, corresponding with each color of the rainbow. Stir; add more food coloring (if desired) until desired color is reached.
Step 3: Divide the colored pudding into 6 pastry bags. (See: Tips on Filling a Pastry Bag if you need help filling the bag with less mess.) Alternatively, you can just spoon the colors into bowls, but that can be a bit messier. Snip the end of the red pastry bag off so that there is about a 1/2″ diameter hole. Pipe the red pudding into each bowl. Repeat with remaining colors.
About the Author:
Katie Goodman blogs at goodLife {eats} where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life through recipes, family memories, and yummy photography. She also works as a freelance food writer and photographer for various sites. Outside of cooking, Katie loves reading, gardening, visiting family, and attending the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she resides with her husband and two children.
ADVERTISEMENT
