Orange Pudding

Recipe No:279
By Christmas, I had a basket full of Oranges sitting on the counter ideally, without being eaten and totally thrown into shadows by all the Cookies, Cakes and other festive items… So this pudding came as my desperate attempt to rescue those Oranges from not ending up in the garbage and I have to say that all of us who ignored those Oranges before, treated the pudding with respect and love!!!

Ingredients                                       Serves 8-10

• Milk…………….....….1 Cup
• Sugar…………….......2/3 Cup +3 Tablespoons
• Eggs…………….....….2 Large
• Gelatin…………........1 Tablespoon (Flavorless)
• Corn Flour…….........1 Teaspoon
• Orange Juice…........1 Cup (Freshly squeezed; will need 3 large-5 small oranges)
• Orange Segments…1/2 Cup (Take off the skin and seeds; cut into small pieces)
• Heavy Cream……….1/2 Cup

Method of Preparation

1. Soak Gelatin in 3 Tablespoons of Cold Water and keep aside for 5 minutes.
2. Dissolve Corn Flour in 2 Tablespoons of Water and keep aside till ready to be used.
3. Take the Orange segments out either by peeling and removing the skin, seeds and the thin membranes around the segments. (If it is hard to peel the Oranges, please go through the ‘Notes’ section to find an alternative.) Break/ cut them into small pieces and keep aside till ready to be used.
4. Beat the Eggs thoroughly and keep aside till ready to be used.
5. Heat Milk and 2/3 cup of Sugar on medium heat till the Sugar is melted thoroughly and the Milk is heated through.
6. Pour ¼ Cup of this hot Milk into the Egg and mix well (This is called tempering, which is important; more info in the ‘Notes’ section). Pour the Egg- Milk mixture back into the remaining Milk, together with the soaked Gelatin (which will now be plump) and let the mixture start to simmer on medium low heat. Do stir often at this stage or the mixture will separate.
7. Once it shows the signs of a gentle simmer, add the Corn flour mixture and cook for a few more seconds or till thickened. (Not more than 30 seconds) Do stir continuously.
8. Switch off the heat and let it cool down completely. This process can be quickened by placing the Custard in a bowl of Ice/ Cold Water. If you have, add 2-3 drops of Orange essence at this stage. (I did not have it on hand and the taste  of the pudding was perfectly fine without.)
9. Once the Custard is cooled, strain it (to remove the solid pieces, if any) and then mix in the fresh Orange Juice and the Orange segments.
10. Whip the cream with 3 Tablespoons of Sugar till thickened or soft peaks are formed. Fold/ mix this whipped cream into the pudding as gentle as possible so that most of the air incorporated while whipping stays. Mix till everything is evenly incorporated. (No whipped cream here and there)
11. Pour it into a pan (you can decide that shape and size of the pudding, I used an 11 x 7 pan) and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (overnight is better). Cut it into desired shapes; add suitable decorations and serve cold.

Notes:

• Even though Gelatin is the component that solidifies this pudding, Corn flour gives it a soft nature so that your pudding can be cut easily into any shapes yet very soft and smooth.
• It won’t take a long time to squeeze 3-5 oranges; so try to use freshly squeezed Orange Juice. Ready- made/ bottled orange juices are not advised.

• This is how I took the Orange segments out of these Oranges which are nearly impossible to peel. Cut the top and the bottom of the Orange; place it on a flat surface and run the knife through the sides, so that the Peel along with the membrane is removed exposing the flesh. Once this is done all around the Orange, get the segments out by cutting on both sides of the flesh leaving all the membranes attached and all the flesh out. By doing this some juice will be coming out; do reserve that for the juice needed for the recipe. After taking the flesh out, do squeeze the remaining membranes to extract the remaining juice.
• If you add Egg directly to the hot Milk, the sudden rise in temperature will cook the Eggs fast to make some sort of a ‘scrambled Egg’ mess. Adding a bit of hot Milk to the Egg first will raise the temperature of the Eggs slightly, so that it will not separate/ cook too fast when it hits the rest of the hot Milk. So this step, called tempering, is very crucial in making smooth Custards.
• Corn Flour/ Starch when dissolved in water has a tendency to settle  with time. So do stir it just before adding. Don't confuse Corn flour with Corn meal...they are different. The type I mentioned in this recipe is called Corn Starch in US and  Corn Flour in India.
• Please let the Custard cool thoroughly before adding the Orange Juice and segments; otherwise the acid in the Oranges will curdle the Custard.
• As this pudding is Gelatin based, it may melt if you keep it at room temperature for a long time.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…