Who-Pudding

How do you choose what cookbook you want to buy? Often I'm attracted to books that promise some sort of "simple" cooking or that are written by a chef I really admire or that focus on a particular ingredient I crave or want to begin using. Every so often, however, I'm just attracted to a book either by its title or cover and realize that, as long as it doesn't seem absolutely awful, I must own it.

That's how I came to acquire the newest addition to my cookbook collection, Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook. I was walking by a bookstore when we were still apartment hunting in Soho and, seeing the bright orange cover in the window, I turned around, entered the store and promptly bought it.

Peppered with quotations from various Doctor Seuss books, the recipes are fairly tame and straightforward, but with very inventive names. Definitely a good way to get kids interested in cooking. Also, since the dishes are quite simple, they are things I can make over and over. The names, however, made me want to potchke to make the ordinary recipes live up to their extraordinary names.

The first and, so far, only recipe I've made is Who-Pudding, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I always imagined Who-Pudding as something not-too-sweet, with a very soft texture. The cookbook offered a version of Tapioca Pudding. I thought, I looked through my cabinets, I dreamed and, inspired, I came up with my own creation. It's fabulous for dessert or breakfast and it's soft, creamy and comforting. Enjoy.

Who-Pudding

• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
• 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 2 3/4 cups Milk
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon, freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon Orange Zest, grated
• 1/2 cup Raspberries
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• Light Whipping Cream, to taste
  

Mix well 1/3 cup Sugar, Flour, Milk and Egg in a medium saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes.

Bring mixture to stove and place over medium heat until it reaches a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon and Orange Zest. Let cool for 20 minutes, then stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a medium bowl, combine Raspberries, Orange Juice and 1 tablespoon Sugar. With a potato masher, mash together until well-combined and all of the same consistency.

Serve drizzled on top of Pudding. Top with an additional Raspberry (or two, or three) if desired.