.Recipe of the week.

It's still hotter than Hades here in Portland {though the weatherman promised me this morning that today would be a cooler 81 degrees}. Yesterday Cheyenne flew off the the east coast for a few days on business and I got it into my head that to take Amelia's mind off of Daddy being gone I would take her on an adventure through the city. BAD IDEA! Let's just say that by the time we got home we were both drenched in sweat and in tears of frustration. Friggen sun.
Anywho, I was originally going to share a more comfort food style autumn recipe today but it's been so hot that just thinking about such a thing made my stomach turn. As I was thumbing through ideas I had The Cosby Show on in the background {that's right this gal loves Cosby, Golden Girls, & vintage Designing Women and no, I don't care what kind of dork that makes me} and as happens almost every day I got to craving my favorite Popsicle of all time...the Jello Pudding Pop. 'Memba those? Delicious is what they were. When I was pregnant I wanted them so badly that after a fruitless search through the greater PDX area I contacted the company directly...they no longer make them and no amount of cajoling could get them to change that. LAME.
So you can imagine my glee when I found this recipe for homemade pudding pops with a more modern/grown up twist {plus I have an unhealthy addiction to salted caramel}. Enjoy!

Chocolate & Salted Caramel Pudding Pops

Chocolate Pudding

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 3/4 cups dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and whole milk in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously. Transfer mixture to a heat-proof bowl and place over (not on) simmering water for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pudding is ready when mixture coats the back of the spoon.  Add chocolate and stir to combine. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Salted Caramel Pudding

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (recipe follows)*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt  and whole milk in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously. Transfer mixture to a heat-proof bowl and place over (not on) simmering water for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pudding is ready when mixture coats the back of the spoon.  Add salted caramel and stir to combine. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Salted Caramel Sauce

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons of heavy cream
• ½ teaspoons of kosher salt

Instructions:

Add sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Use a wet brush to remove any crystals that form on the side. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high. Now and then, using the handle give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute. As the mixture darkens to a medium amber color, approximately 5-7 minutes, add the butter and cream to saucepan. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling). Add salt and stir to combine.

Assembly:

For easy layering place cooled pudding in a pastry bag or Ziploc bag and cut the corner. Pipe alternating layers of chocolate and salted caramel pudding into a small Dixie type of cup. Place cups in the freezer for one hour until the pudding becomes semi firm, then place a popsicle stick in the middle an continue to freeze for another 2 hours.