Pineapple-Saffron Pudding
Dressy enough for a celebration but super simple to whip up, this mhlabiyeh-inspired dessert is silky smooth and melt-in-your-mouth comforting. Made with just a few basic ingredients traditionally, like milk, corn flour and some nuts, I adapted my mom’s recipe by using dairy free milk and by adding fresh pineapple and saffron to the classic Mhlabiyeh. Fond memories of eating this pudding topped with canned fruit cocktail! Growing up, canned mixed fruit was a popular topping for custards and puddings. I would discard all the fruits and only eat the cherries from the lot! That was a long time ago! I don’t even remember when was the last time I had fruit coming out of a can! Lol
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup, unsweetened plant milk, divided (I used almond milk)
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of saffron
1/4 cup puréed fresh pineapple
Fresh pineapple, diced, for serving
Unsalted coarsely chopped pistachios, for serving
Edible dried rose petals (optional)
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine 1 1/2 cups of milk and sugar and whisk gently until the sugar dissolves and bring to a gentle simmer
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup milk, saffron and the cornstarch and set aside
When the milk and sugar mixture is heated, gently pour in the cornstarch-saffron-milk mixture into the milk-sugar mixture and whisk continuously until the pudding thickens. You may need to increase the heat slightly if the pudding doesn’t thicken.
Turn off heat and set aside to cool. Once the pudding has somewhat cooled down, gently spoon the pudding into individual serving cups and top with the pineapple purée
Set the cups covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It is essential to cover the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, top with fresh diced pineapple unsalted pistachios, edible dried rose petals, if using.
Enjoy!
