Farina Pudding "Pappchen"
A family heirloom!
Is there a food that is so comforting, so familiar that you are instantly transported back to your childhood? For me, that's my Grammie's Farina pudding or as we always knew it, "Pappchen". I love the way she wrote the recipe down for me--it's so European--so Grammie.
My grandparents and my mom actually emigrated to the US from England in the 1950's, but my grandparents were originally from Germany and thankfully escaped to London during WWII, both as teenagers. Though Grammie learned proper British English and never thought of herself as a German, some of the old World traditions still clung to her--like this delicious pudding, thankfully. For years, Grammie made this recipe for our family, often serving it in its chilled form as dessert with frozen raspberries or strawberries. When she stopped cooking several years ago, I sort of forgot about it, but in thinking about recipes to post, I have been going through my old recipe box and came across it. I've now made it three times in the last three days! I can't get enough of it!!
There are only five simple little ingredients in this, but oh, how they come together! Each spoonful is filled with a lemony creaminess that is so addictive. When hot, it's like the best breakfast cereal-thick and rich and satisfying. When chilled, the consistency is still soft, but more like a jello or cold souffle. It may not look like much, but who cares? Either way, it's delicious, so easy to make and healthy too! If you don't keep Farina in your pantry (and unless, you've got a baby, who really does?) get yourself to the store and pick up a box so that you can make this today.
Thanks for this recipe, Grammie and for all the other things you've done for me and everyone else in our family. I love you!
Farina Pudding "Pappchen"
Makes 2-3 servings
Prep Time: 5 Minutes; Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk ( I used 1% but you can use any kind)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
- the peel of one lemon (try as hard as you can to make this one piece--it's easier to remove later on)
- 1/2 cup Farina
- 1 egg yolk
The Recipe
1. In a medium heavy weight saucepan, mix together milk, sugar, lemon peel and salt. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add Farina slowly stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a boil again, lower the flame and cook for 3-4 minutes more, stirring constantly.
3. Then turn flame lower and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring every now and then--more "now than "then" according to Grammie. Mixture will thicken and become creamy and soft. Remove from the heat.
4. In a small bowl whisk egg yolk slightly. Add about 1/2 cup of the pudding mixture to the egg yolk, whisking constantly and then pour that back into saucepan and whisk it into rest of pudding mixture. The mixture will take on a nice golden tone.
5. If serving hot, carefully remove lemon peel and enjoy. If you want to eat this cold, pour the mixture into another container and let it cool to room temperature before removing lemon peel. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. The pudding can be served on its own or with fresh fruit or thawed frozen raspberries or strawberries in syrup. This keeps for several days, chilled.
Enjoy!
