MILKTOP PUDDING AND STRAWBERRY JAM ~北海道3.6牛奶布丁~

A pair of milk pudding sitting on grass :)

Summer in my city can really kill.  It's not just the heat, our humidity is constantly over 90%.  Together they breed the most unforgiving weather. 

One of my favourite activities to escape from the heat is strolling through supermarkets and food sections of department stores.  I would start off with the freezers to visit ice-creams and frozen peas, occasionally opening the freezer doors to let some cold air out.  It offers the most rapid way of cooling me down.  Then I would hit the coolers to check on the prices of butters and creams, leisurely, and maybe pick up a drink for myself.  By the time I'm done my body temperature should be back to normal and I will proceed to enjoy food shopping.

The main attraction of big supermarkets and deparment stores to me is that they carry a much wider variety of food products and often have promotions of seasonal ingredients.  My favourite is the food section of SOGO (a Japanese department store), right at the basement.  Half of the area houses food stalls that sells Japanese snacks such as cream puffs and takoyaki (章魚小丸子).  There're also gourmet shops selling chocolates, cakes and all sorts of nicely packaged Japanese cookies - much like the food hall of Harrods in London.

Anyway, one of the corner stalls is called 'Milk Top' and their milk puddings sold in mini milk bottles have been a big hit for a few years.  I've tried one when they first started and thought it was nice.  Since I was passing by in a particularly hot day a month ago, I was tempted to get one.  Different flavours of the pudding were available now like strawberry, green tea, etc.  However, at HKD$23 (3 USD) per tub, I decided to part with it and make some of my own instead.

The mini milk bottles are not difficult to find in many of the baking supplies shops.  I got mine for HKD$6 each (less than 1 USD), and they come with the plastic covers too.  All you need to do is fill up the jars with some pudding and your guests will be wowed by your cute dessert!

The recipe is very. very. simple, which makes it the perfect treat on a lazy summer day!  I also made a strawberry jam to go with the milk pudding.  It's also perfect for your breakfast toast :)

The perfect summer treat.

HOKKAIDO 3.6 MILK PUDDING
Ingredients

200mL milk

50mL double cream

1tsp gelatin powder

1tbsp water

3tbsp sugar

Makes 4 little milk containers/jelly cups

Method

1.       Add water into gelatin powder and let sit for 5 minutes.

2.       Put 100mL milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved (do not boil!).

3.       Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the gelatin solution.

4.       Pour in double cream and remaining milk.

5.       Mix well and pour into containers.

6.       Cover with cling film and fridge for at least 3 hours until set.

7.       Viola!  Enjoy on its own or with a drizzle of strawberry jam!

Note

§      I used Hokkaido 3.6 milk for its delicate flavour – it’s my favourite brand of milk!  Feel free to use any milk you like!

§      Be sure to remove any bubbles on the surface of the containers so the surface will be smooth!

§      It’s best to let the pudding mixture cool down a bit before covering with cling film, otherwise water drops will gather on the cover when chilled and it’s hard to avoid them dropping onto the pudding!

Puddings in the sun!

STRAWBERRY JAM

Ingredients

500g strawberries

150g sugar (or more)

Juice of half a lemon

Makes one 7cm jar of jam.

Soak, boil, done!

Method

1. Wash and drain the strawberries.  Remove stalks and leaves and dice into small pieces.
2. Place diced strawberries into a big bowl.  Add sugar, then carefully toss the strawberries until coated with sugar.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let refrigerate overnight.  This will draw the juice out of the strawberries and also gives a nice colour to the finished jam.
4. Take the bowl out of the fridge.  The strawberries should now be immersed in a transparent red liquid - that's the juice we want.
5. Pour mixture into a heavy saucepan, add the lemon juice and turn on the heat.
6. Once boiling, lower the heat and let the mixture simmer.  Taste the jam with a wooden spoon (be careful, the mixture is extremely hot!).  If too sour, add extra sugar to your taste.
7. Keep an eye and stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking onto the bottom of the pan.
8. It will bubble up as you cook it.  Keep stirring and simmering it and eventually the bubbles will start to disappear.
9. Once the bubbles have disappeared, turn off the heat.  Do not over cook the mixture as it will curdle.  The mixture should be slightly more liquid than your desired consistency.
10. Pour the jam into a glass jar.  Seal it tight and store in the fridge.
11. Viola! Enjoy with your favourite pudding or ice-cream, or spread on some toast and bite in!

The finished jam.

Note

§      You may want to vary the amount of sugar used subject to the sweetness of your strawberries!

§   Be sure to sterilise the glass jar you're using.  This will increase the shelf life of your jam to 3 weeks in the fridge!  Do this by boiling the jar and lid in hot water.  Then leave to dry naturally or let them dry in a 100°C oven until dry.  Make sure the jars are completely cooled before use.

P.S In case you're wondering how Hokkaido 3.6 milk looks like, here's a picture of its packaging.  It is relatively less thick and has a lighter taste than regular milk, thus ideal for any delicate desserts calling for just a mild milk flavour!

Comments welcomed :)