I post this
recipe in honor of my college reunion this past weekend. Pompadour Pudding was
one of our signature desserts, and we alumnae are still talking about it (well,
that and the chocolate-peppermint pie…).
I don't
know about your college experience, but back in my day meals were a big
deal. The menu didn't matter, just the
break, sitting with friends, and so on.
Of course, in those distant days each dormitory had its own kitchen and
made a lot of its food from scratch.
Now, mainly for economy reasons, the kitchens have been consolidated,
and students must actually leave their dorm to eat (not much fun during New
England winters!). On the plus side,
there is far more diversity than there once was (including one vegan/vegetarian/kosher
dorm kitchen), and the hours are far more flexible. Life, including food, marches on.
I've had
this recipe for years. I own custard
cups because of it (I found them at a yard sale). I know, nobody makes custard any more, but in
this case I think it's worth it. The
custard is sweet and creamy, topped with a crisp and chocolaty crust that melts
on the tongue. And the whole thing is
actually easy to make.
Makes 4
Custard:
1½ cups whole milk
4 Tblsp. sugar1 Tblsp. flour
Pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
½ tsp. vanilla
Mix all the custard
ingredients except the vanilla and cook slowly (in a double-boiler if you have
one) until it thickens slightly. Add the
vanilla last.
Pour the mixture
into heatproof custard cups.
Chocolate meringue
topping:
½ square chocolate
(semisweet)
2 Tblsp. sugar1 egg white
1 Tblsp. milk
Grate or finely chop the
chocolate, then cook it together with the sugar and milk until the chocolate is
melted. Let the mixture cool (but not
too much or it will stiffen).
Beat the egg white
until stiff peaks form. Fold into the
cool chocolate mixture.
Drop heaping
tablespoons of the meringue over the custard in the cups (it will float).
Set the custard
cups into a pan of hot water (the water should come only partway up the
sides). Bake in a preheated 350 degree
oven the meringue is domed and looks crisp on the surface.
How long? Well, the
original recipe said something like "cook until done." I looked at an old Fanny Farmer cookbook
recipe for custard and it said the same thing.
But this is not very time-sensitive.
I cooked mine (in the water-filled pan) for an hour, and the custard was
set but not rubbery and the topping was crisp.
And it tastes just the way it used to.
