Dizzy Pazzy

During my growing up years desserts were a regular at dinner. Well, not the exotic types typically a custard with lots of fruits, kheer( sooji, semiya, chuda, chawal) or pudding. We ( me and my siblings ) would at the beginning of the meal ask: What's for Dizzy Pazzy? Dizzy Pazzy was our way of referring to the dessert. My sister with the sweetest tooth among us would very often skip the main course to save some of her appetite for the dessert. Dizzy Pazzy, can't recall how the term originated, you know how families have their own jokes, language codes etc. We still use quite of bit of that in our regular conversations much to the disgust of our spouses. Typically these references are followed by giggles and laughter which annoys them even further.
Coming back to the dessert. I did not have any particular favorite then. In fact I was not much of a dessert person, I loved the imlis, achars and khattai a lot more. Kheers were okay, custard tasted nice when it was chilled, puddings could range from being really good to terrible. There were days when the puddings would be just right: soft to touch, even textured, firm enough to be cut into individual portions and with a predominant vanilla flavor. Then there were other times when the pudding would have an eggy smell, the texture would be uneven( probably the egg had been added to hot milk) and would have a kind of semi-solid consistency.

Once I got married and set up home I did not make pudding, was not quite sure how to. When we dined out I would occasionally sample some. I love the way they plate the pudding with a wee bit of cream and a cherry on top.

And then quite recently my husband's aunt shared her Caramel Pudding recipe with me.Since then it is a regular on my menu. My sons otherwise reluctant egg eaters love the pudding and I see it as a good way to slip in the eggs into their diet. As for me I try and stay away from desserts now with Woh Bachpan ki yadein.

Caramel Pudding

Ingredients
Milk: 3 cups
Sugar: 4 to 5 tsps( If you prefer your desserts really sweet you could add a few more tsps)
Eggs: 2
Vanilla Essence: 1 tsp
2 tsps sugar to caramelise

Method

• Heat the milk and reduce to 2.5 cups. This should take about 10/15 minutes.



• Remove from fire and cool, then add the sugar and mix well.



• Beat the eggs with Vanilla essence to a fluffy consistency. Add to the milk.



• Next take the container in which you are going to pressure cook the pudding. I use a small steel one. Put 2 tsps of sugar into this container and caramelise it( place it on the stove and keep stirring on high flame till the sugar turns a rich brown colour). Turn the container around so that the sugar coats the base of the container evenly. Let it cool.



• Pour the milk and egg mixture in..



• Pressure cook without the whistle for about 11 minutes.



• Remove, let it cool and then refrigerate.



• To serve loosen from the sides and turn it over on a plate. Cut into individual slices and serve.

My children love it as an after school snack, in between meals. Rarely had as Dizzy Pazzy though. Sigh!

Bon Apetit and Happy Cooking!