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

BanaNutella Pudding - The South and Italy unite!

It seems that many Southern classics are being tweaked and showing up on the menus of very swanky restaurants. So, if they're going to play around with history, then I'll play around with geography; Italy meets North Carolina with this one.

BanaNutella Pudding

Banana Pudding is one of those sweet, creamy, cookie filled southern-born treats that is so darn good, I've eaten it for breakfast by convincing myself it was one of my daily fruit servings. I don't remember a single Church Pot Luck that didn't have several versions of Banana Pudding. It might be the quick and easy: Box of Instant Pudding and a bag of Nabisco Wafers dumped together and given a swirl with Dream Whip. It might be the Cook-it-slow and full home-made pudding, with a dash of brandy and home-made sugar cookies with sliced up bananas. Honestly, both have their place...in my tummy.
I've combined my love for Nutella with my memories of Sunday night desserts for this recipe. It looks only half as good as it tastes, and it tastes...or it tasted (it was gone within 30 minutes) like a whipped chocolate coated banana hug. You know what I mean. Enjoy and Baci!

RECIPE: BanaNutella Pudding (showfood chef)

3 cups milk (plus 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk and 1 egg white
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbls. butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 box of Vanilla Wafers (or small sugar cookies)
3 Bananas (peeled and sliced in 1/4" rounds)

1) Add the milk and cornstarch in a saucepan on low/med heat. Stir while heating just to simmer. Remove from heat.
2) In a bowl, beat the eggs and the egg yolk with the sugar until light and frothy.
3) Temper the eggs into the warm milk, return the saucepan to the heat and continue stirring while cooking on low/med. until thickened.
4) Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Hold to the side.
5) In a bowl, whip the Nutella and the 1/3 cup milk until creamy, then stir this into the pudding. Let cool to room temp.
6) In another bowl, whip the egg white with 1 Tbls. sugar til firm peaks hold.


In a loaf pan or an 8x8 pan, place a bottom layer of Vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of sliced bananas, followed by a layer of the pudding. Repeat to the top, finishing with pudding.

Spread the egg white meringue over the top evenly, heat in a preheated 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until the tops of the meringue peaks are toasted.
Can be served warm, chilled or room temp.