Sol!Sol!Sol!...you are a true gem!!!

Thank you so much for the recipes..and yes..I'm very sure he'd love Creme Caramel..He loves Cajeta (or however you spell it.) but I've decided not to tell him that the true original is goatsmilk based..LOL He'd never eat it then! LOL

THANK YOU, THANK YOU...smooches!!!!!

Thank you, Sol. That coconut budino looks amazingly yummy, but I really want to know how you made those little chocolate leaves on the plate.....

And did you bake the chocolate one right in the mug? Ovenproof, I assume?

Annie

How come you didn't include me ? I'm Italian
LOU

Holy crimonies -- those are exquisite. Copied AND PASTED.

That coconut budino may be THE dessert for my upcoming big dinner. Maybe somehow with a little citrus and pineapple in or on it to better complement the seafood theme.

Thanks Sol. And I don't mind that you didn't include me, another Italian, in your title.

Joe

I'm not Italian..but I asked... that's all it takes around here. :op

Copied and pasted, Sol, you are the best! Thanks :)

LOL, kibitz! A shaynem dank!

Carol

Ok, I'll ask....Lou do you make these???

And no offense hon, but while many of us can make things that taste good, Sol has the knack (TALENT and Patience) to make things look drop dead good and purchaseable.

(Do you know how good this looks on a new 24" monitor...she says passing out....) Maureen

Sol, in the Caramelized Coconut Budino... Um.... How much milk?

Rita

You're all very welcome.

Terri, I'll see your smooches and raise you a hug.

AB, you don't miss much, do you? The Chocolate Budini were made in coffee mugs. The mugs were filled ¾ of the way, and placed on a cookie sheet (for stability) before baking.

The chocolate leaves were done with a stencil. You've probably seen the butterfly I did some time ago, using stencils and baking cocoa. Well, for this one, I used hot fudge sauce instead, because it's thick, so it won't run under the stencil.
Place the stencil wherever you want it on your plate, and use a small, angled spatula to spread the chocolate over the stencil. Use a small amount of chocolate at a time to avoid the sauce from seeping under your stencil. Btw, you can use any other sauce that isn't too runny. I like strawberry or raspberry sauce for this technique. But let it set for a few minutes before placing your dessert on the plate to reduce your chances of distorting the design.

Joe, the touch of citrus sounds like a winner to me.
And I would've loved to have included you and Luigi in the title, and at my table. Oh, the memories you've both evoked. Many years ago, I worked with a lady who very quickly became my best friend. She had just arrived in the US from Italy, and naturally, her English was pretty limited. I didn't speak Italian, and yet, we comunicated beautifully and had absolutely the best time together.

Carol, shaynem dank? You're going to make me look that up, aren't you? ;-Þ

Caution: Maureen's comment may become addictive, lower blood pressure and may even produce harmful levels of optimism! Thank you Maureen.

Please note the correction below, for the Caramelized Coconut Budino. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Caramelized Coconut Budino

2½ cups very finely grated sweetened coconut
2 cups sugar
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons AP flour*
1 teaspoon Vanilla paste **

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until light golden, tossing ocassionally, 10-12 minutes. Reserve. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
In a heavy, stainless steel frying pan, melt 1 cup of the sugar over medium heat. Do not stir, instead, swirl the pan to melt the sugar uniformly. Cook until it starts to turn golden brown. Immediately remove pan from the heat and pour mixture into an 8" cake pan. Set it aside.

Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, the milk, coconut and flour, whish until well blended.

Pour coconut mixture into the caramel-lined pan, and place in a larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan to a depth of one inch. Bake in the oven until set, and a skewer in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit 10-15 minutes. Invert the Coconut Budino onto a serving plate, serve warm, or room temperature.Serves 8.
From Joanne Weir's More Cooking in the Wine Country.

*I used cake flour.
**The recipe does not call for vanilla, it is optional.

---------------------------------

Terri, here's my favorite Créme Caramel. The recipe may seem long and complicated, it's really not, but I didn't want to leave out any details.

Créme Caramel

4 cups milk
1¼ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
5 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract

Caramel

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water

MAKE THE CARAMEL. Arrange eight 1-cup ramekins in a large roasting pan. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup and water to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring lightly to dissolve the sugar. Simmer until the caramel is a rich, deep amber, about 13 minutes. If any sugar crystallizes on the side of the pan, brush it down with a wet pastry brush. If the caramel begins to foam or browns too quickly, move it off the heat briefly to let it rest and allow you to regain control.

Pour an equal amount of hot caramel into each ramekin; if the caramel gets too thick, place it over low heat to remelt. The caramel cups can be kept at room temperature for 2 days, covered with plastic wrap.

Combine the milk and sugar in a nonreactive saucepan and bring just barely to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Whisk the eggs and yolks in a large bowl to combine. Whisk constantly while slowly adding the milk mixture. Add the vanilla last. Strain into a pitcher or large measuring cup with a spout and refrigerate overnight. You could proceed with the recipe, but ideally, for the best taste and smoothest texture it's best to allow this custard to rest.

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the Créme Caramel cups in the baking pan, on a baking sheet. This will provide a double layer of insulation so the custards will cook slowly and evenly. Pour about 3/4 cup of custard into each cup. And add enough hot water to halfway to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the cups. If there are any bubbles resting on the tops of the custards, use a toothpick or wooden skewer to burst them.

Cover the pan with two layers of plastic wrap, sealing tightly and place in the oven. Check the custards after 30 minutes by gently shaking them while still in the wrap. The custards should be set, but with a slight jiggle. It'll probably take 40 minutes for the custards to set, or longer, if the mixture was cold when it went in the oven.
Remove the custards from the hot water and place on a rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

To serve, pour about 2 inches of very hot water into a bowl. Set a Créme Caramel in the hot water to let the caramel soften for a few seconds. Run a knife around the edge of the cup to loosen the custard. Invert onto serving plate. Makes This is my adaptation from Bouchon.

We are going to have the BEST dessert on Sunday! Thank you for posting these recipes, Sol!! My husband is 1/4 Italian and I'm 1/8 and neither of us has heard of Budino, but we do live in Maine.

Now I just have to decide if I want to make my hubby happiest and make the chocolate one, or be selfish and make the caramel coconut one, which sounds like heaven to me. Or I can be greedy, er, make everyone happy, and make both.

Carol, shaynem dank? You're going to make me look that up, aren't you? ;-Þ
you're kvetching? it means thank you very much!;-Þ

and just because I like the way this sounds...
Azoy vert dos kichel tzekrochen

Thanks again :)

Maureen: I was only joking !!! I think Sol knows that?
I don't make too many desserts and especially like the
desserts that Sol comes up with.She is something!

But I have done many other things; in other fields,
that you would not believe,
When I set my mind to do something, it usually gets done.

Sol, is a good friend and has been for awhile.

You're right, I try to make things that taste goooooodd!!
But it has to look good too!

If I was to try these, they might resemble Sol's in some way ???

Lou

Carol, your Yiddish's turned me into a farblondzhet insomniac.

Daria, you're entitled to be as greedy generous as you like; make both.[G]

Luigi, what do you mean you were joking? Are you saying you wouldn't want to be included at my table? Well, now you're playing with my emotions.
Fine! You're still my buddy, but I'm leaving, and I'm taking my budini with me.

Sol

the last time i baked a chocolate something, it was sol's version of MLCs. OMG is close to the right description... if that chocolate budino is anything close, i'd suggest you make a batch specifically for your poor mother in law, SS. not a doubt in my mind she'd be feeling much better, very quickly! best wishes to you both! (and did you change addies? i sent a note a few weeks ago but i'm not at all sure it got through to you...)

Sol: Yes I was only joking about being invited.
I know you would. Good thing we don't live closer !!!!

Don't tell anyone about us, They like to gossip.

You can't take the Boudini with you, because I ate it !!!
Lou

Sol, I think I am slowly turning into my bubbe! Yiddish was hers, I only know phrases, LOL, and most of them unprintable ;)

Sol, question....

Does the coconut that's in the pudding rise to the top and form the "crust" look that is seen in the pictures?

How did I miss this on it's first go 'round! We love Creme Carmel so I know we would really like this.

Terri, I reread the recipe several times looking for a topping......duh!

LOL Sharon! I'm still trying to figure out how it gets a crust when it's made upside down..

The recipe is a bit of a ruse, ain't it. The custard mixture separates into three layers. The coconut floats to the top while it bakes. Once inverted, it becomes the bottom crust.
It's magic, I tell you. ☺

Sol

Well that's what I figured...lol...but I wanted to make sure!

I knew that all along....