Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Caffe Creme (Coffee and Cream Pudding)

Can you remember what it was like before there was a coffee place on every corner? When I think of meeting friends, I think in terms of nearby coffee houses. Before leaving on a long drive, I always stop for coffee first. Coffee (or Espresso) is included in ice creams & granita, savory Mole sauces, cakes, marinades for meat, and barbecue rubs. We drink it, bake it, whip it, season with it and cover the nibs in chocolate. It was just a matter of time before I tried it as a creme pudding.

Caffe Creme (Coffee & Cream Pudding w/Cinnamon)
This past week, I've been having my kitchen repainted and some drawers and cabinets repaired. I was kitchen-less for almost a week! Maybe that would sound like a vacation for some people, but it was like a detox challenge for me. In fact, I finally set up a little "kitchenette" on a side table with a catering hot-plate, a toaster oven and a...wait for it...COFFEE maker, of course.I experienced a little panic jolt when I suddenly remembered I had a Los Angeles Food Bloggers meet-up on the weekend. It's a once a month get-together with local food bloggers, usually held in someone's home.
It's a great chance to chat and chow with new and known food-loving buddies. (At this meeting the uber talented Andrew from Eating Rules helped demystify Google Analytics for us. He was so generous and patient.)

Every meeting is a potluck and everyone brings a dish. (Great variety at our Pot Luck)

This isn't like one of those school functions where "bring a dish" for some people means "stop by the store and pick something up". These are food bloggers-- people who love to cook and love to have other people eat what they've cooked.
(Always great food at our Food Bloggers of Los Angeles get-togethers)

All this to say; if this recipe for Caffe Creme can be made with just a hot-plate and a pot you know you can make it, too. I poured the Caffe Creme into small shooter glasses for individual servings. You can also make larger servings, or one big bowl and scoop it out later. I received great feed back on these little puddings, and I'll definitely add them to my catering and party choices. It's just enough of a coffee shot to get me to the next coffee time. Maybe I need more than a kitchen detox program, huh?

RECIPE: Caffe Crema

1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 1/2 cup for whipped cream)
1/2 cup strong coffee or Espresso
1/2 cup sugar (plus 2 Tbls for whipped cream)
4 1/2 Tbls. Corn Starch
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Tbls. Cinnamon

1) In a saucepan, whisk together the milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup coffee/espresso, 1/2 cup sugar, the corn starch, salt and vanilla extract, until all is blended well.

2) Heat the saucepan of liquid pudding over med/high and bring to a boil, stirring often.

3) Stir and boil until thickened (about 2-3 minutes)

4) Pour the thickened pudding into a large metal bowl or pitcher and place it over ice to gradually bring the pudding to room temperature. Stir often.

5) Pour into chosen containers and place in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream that has been whisked with sugar and cinnamon. Garnish with more cinnamon sugar (if desired).

For tons of yum-i-licious foods and recipes, check out some of our talented Food Bloggers from Los Angeles:

Eating Rules
In Erika's Kitchen
Shockingly Delicious
Sippity Sup
Presley's Pantry (Chipotle Macaroni Salad pictured above)
Kitchen Runway (Zucchini Bread pictured above)
Bibberche
Savour-Fare
Lentil Breakdown
A Beach HomeCompanion
Cook and be Merry



7 comments:

Quyen - Kitchen Runway said...

Cathy! These caffe creme was delicious!! Such adorable treats and definitely a hit last Saturday! Thank you for picturing my Zucchini Bread! The recipe is up on my blog now. Take care and until next time!

Dorothy at Shockinglydelicious said...

Oh yeah, those were some DEELISH little coffee puddings! I want another one tomorrow (if I had one now, I wouldn't be able to sleep).

I brought the Homemade Meyer Lemonade, which you can find at http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/the-best-homemade-lemonade/

Cheerio!

Khali//Bandit and the Scene Stealers said...

holy moly those look delicious. I would not have a problem replacing my daily cup with a few scoops of this delight.

Valentina said...

Your little Caffe Cremas are just adorable -- and I'm so lucky I got to have one! For breakfast, no less! Truly delicious! Thank you for sharing! And I love seeing the photo of my Cucumber Dill Canapés! The recipe is now up on my blog. :-)

Gisele aka LA2LAChef said...

What a great post with all those pics/collages!

Lentil Breakdown said...

So glad to see you posted the recipe! I was going to ask you for it. These were fab, and I loved the presentation in those little glasses! Thanks for the mention.

Nikki @Pennies on a Platter said...

Pretty sure these were my favorite of the party (shhhh! Don't tell the others!) :)