Do you know the difference between these three desserts? Until last year I always just bought the Jell-O brand pudding mixes, Custard was a general and a moose was a large animal that lived in temperate deciduous forests! Then I found some recipes in a cooking magazine that I subscribe to and like all things. . .homemade tastes better. . .if you can get it right! So here is a quick crash course in puddings, custards and mousses. Go ahead. . .try one for Easter dessert. If it comes out well–everyone will think you are a kitchen diva! (If it doesn’t turn out well, you can say your in-laws brought it!)
Pudding
Actually, pudding traditionally refers to a meat dish. However, I love dessert even over steak and so I’m going to completely skip over that part of its history. (I hope those of you who are not American will pardon my ways!) With that said, ‘pudding’, on its most basic level is whole milk, sugar, and cornstarch heated and mixed together until the starch molecules bond, resulting in a thick and creamy mixture.
Custard
Pudding is a cousin of custard. However, a custard is technically eggs and milk heated together until they become thick and solidify. Generally, dessert custards have sugar as well. However, sometimes custards have sweet toppings rather than having sugar cooked in. Custards are tricky because if you don’t get the heat right you’ll end up with curdled custard. As my Joy of Cooking cookbook so eloquently puts it, “. . .what you’ll have left is curds of cooked eggs swimming in watery, translucent whey. . .” Sounds appetizing, huh! (Don’t worry–I’ll teach you how to get the heat right.)
Mousse
A mousse in layman’s terms is a pudding that is made with beaten egg whites or whipped cream. So technically, if you have a pudding. . .and beat whipped cream into it. . .you have an easy mousse. Really, honestly and truly. The next time you have dinner guests, make plain old pudding, mix in whipped topping, and serve the dessert in individual cups with some fruit. Call it mousse and your guests will be so impressed! But of course there is a way to make mousse from scratch and just like I think pudding tastes better from scratch–I think homemade mousse is better too!
Puddings, custards and mousses can be a little tricky but you can look soon for recipes and tips on how to make these delicious concoctions at home!