Almond Milk Pudding with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Syrup

Even after switching to soy milk a number of years ago, I still can't say I'm totally in love with it.  I long for the days when things didn't have that 'toasted marshmallow' flavor I typically associate with soy.  So I was happy to see almond milk recently show up in my local store. It's still fairly new on the market and may not be available everywhere so if you can't find it bug your grocery manager. 

I was surprised how good it was in my morning latte but the true test came when I tried to make it into pudding.  In making a pudding or custard you want a nice, rich mouth feel when you're eating it.  Since almond milk is pretty thin, the texture of the first batch was also thin.

I tried to concentrate it by simmering the almond milk with a vanilla bean until it reduced by half.  This proved to be the right texture but a bit too much vanilla and I lost the delicate almond flavor.  Half of a vanilla bean proved to be the right amount. 

I tend to not like overly sweet things so this was perfect for me but my friends wanted it a bit sweeter.  Some wanted more sugar and others wanted just a touch so I decided to let each person determine the sweetness level by adding as much simple syrup, flavored with the remaining vanilla bean and a touch of bourbon, as they wanted. 

I was pretty pleased with the results for my first try of cooking with almond milk. Stay tuned for more challenging recipes. 

Almond Pudding with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Syrup

Serves 4

4 cups unflavored almond milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Vanilla Bean Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 tablespoon bourbon

Garnish: raspberries

Pour 1/2 cup almond milk in a glass measuring cup and set aside.  Pour remaining almond milk in a Dutch oven or other tall pot and add 1/2 vanilla bean.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, being careful to not let milk boil over.  Simmer until milk is reduced to two cups, about 20 minutes.  

Whisk together cornstarch and reserved almond milk. Slowly add cornstarch mixture to simmering milk, whisking constantly.  Bring mixture to a boil, add sugar and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Pour pudding into martini glasses or ramekins.  Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until fully set.  

To make the syrup, stir together sugar, water and 1/2 vanilla bean in a small saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before stirring in the bourbon.

To serve, pour 1 tablespoon vanilla bean syrup over each pudding and garnish with raspberry, if desired.