Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Puddings with Saucy Berries
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Yield: 4 servings
 
Chill time: 8 hours
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Epicrurious.com
ingredients:
Buttermilk Puddings:
  • 1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup whole milk, divided
  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Berry Sauce:
  • ¼ cup dry red wine *
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 (3-inch) strip lemon zest
  • 1 (3-inch) strip orange zest
  • 1 Turkish bay leaf
  • 1 cup quartered strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cups of your favorite berries (I used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
directions:
Make the puddings
  1. Have ready 4 (6-to 8-ounce) bowls or wide glasses
  2. Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup milk in a small bowl and let soften 1 minute.
  3. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan and add pod. Add remaining ¾ cup milk and sugar and bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture to hot milk mixture, stirring until dissolved. Quickly chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold but not thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in buttermilk, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure, discarding solids. Pour into bowls and chill until set, at least 8 hours.
Make the sauce
  1. Bring wine, water, sugar, zests, and bay leaf to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then boil until reduced to about ⅓ cup, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add strawberries and simmer 5 minutes. Discard zests and bay leaf, then puree strawberry mixture in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force through clean fine-mesh sieve and discard solids. Stir in tablespoon of lemon juice.
  3. Chill sauce, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 1 hour.
Serve
  1. Spoon sauce over puddings and top with more berries.
notes:
* If you'd prefer not to use red wine in the sauce, some good substitutes would be; grape juice, apple juice or cranberry juice.
Recipe by parsley sage sweet at https://parsleysagesweet.com/2010/02/03/berries-and-buttermilk-puddings-and-my-first-giveaway/