black sesame pudding

Black sesame pudding.

Black sesame tastes a lot like regular sesame, but the differences are pretty profound - the black seeds are a little floral, even a little perfumey.  I was thrilled to see black sesame paste at Super 88 in Allston last year, and usually use it for noodles. But both black and white sesame are frequently used in sweets, too, and here I made a very basic but very rich pudding.

I don't have amounts, because I eyeballed it and tasted and adjusted as I was cooking, but the idea is simple:

Beat two egg yolks together. In a small cup, dissolve a pinch of gelatin in a couple spoonfuls of cold milk.

Heat about a cup of milk with a couple spoonfuls of sugar.  When the sugar is dissolved and the milk is steaming, add a couple spoonfuls of black sesame paste and stir. It won't get fully incorporated yet, most likely. Add some of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks to temper them, then add the eggs and the dissolved gelatin to the pan. Heat, constantly stirring, until the pudding thickens, and then blend it (or use a hand mixer) to make sure the black sesame paste is fully incorporated.

Chill.