Delicate Norwegian Almond Pudding - Delikat mandel pudding

     During a night when my wife was away and the baby is asleep and my TV is broken what should I do? I will make many recipes to test on my family on Saturday! I made 4 different things that night and I think I found a couple winners.  Each recipe will get it's own post to stick with the pattern I have set up. On to the food.

     The first recipe from the long Friday night is the "Delicate Norwegian Almond Pudding." This reminded me of an old fashioned pudding recipe. I had to separate some eggs, cook slowly over lowish heat then whip up some egg whites. I was surprised at the complexity of the recipe probably because I'm used to the American pudding from a box. It's more complex than Jell-O, but still fairly easy.

• 1/4 Cup cornstartch
• 1 Cup milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/4 Cup finely ground almonds
• 1 TBSP rum (or rum flavoring)
• 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup milk to a smooth thin paste. Beat in egg yolks and then set aside. Combine remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, and almonds in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil. Then lower heat and stir in the cornstarch/egg yolk mixture. Cook 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the rum. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into a serving dish and chill. Serve with a warm fruit sauce.

     I was a little worried at first when I saw the odd looking texture. The little flecks of almond, and the strong rum scent made me a bit wary of what people would think. In the end I was pleasantly surprised. This is easily one of the best puddings I have ever tasted. The almond flavor is very evident, and the mouse-like texture is offset by the slight crunchiness of the ground almonds. The rum flavor comes around in the finish and is not as strong as the smell initially indicated. For what the recipe calls a delicate dish I was impressed by the complexity of flavor. Each of the 7 people I had taste it really enjoyed it. I tasted it the next day and the rum smell was less powerful. I will definitely be adding this to the final menu. I haven't decided if I'll provide an additional fruit sauce like the recipe calls for. I may point people towards the cherry sauce that is meant to be had with the Risalamande.