orange clementine pudding

i am a magazine addict. there, i said it. i average about two magazines a week - real simple, cooking light, cook's illustrated, fine cooking, bon apetit, popular photography, national geographic traveler - which is funny, since at one point in time kiplinger, rolling stone (they suckered me into a life time subscription, but i haven't gotten it in five years), self, and health were also thrown into the mix. it's a lot of information to sort through. which means i'm usually a month (or three) behind on my reading. 

not so with cooking light. it's one of the few that gets ripped to shreds within days of getting it. "ripped to shreds" sounds a bit harsh - maybe i should say "i rip out all the recipes that look good and toss out the rest." otherwise my book shelves would be full of magazines instead of unread books.

this is a perfect cooking light recipe. i've never made pudding from scratch before and this was a great one to start with. it's light and creamy, the perfect end to a meal. and since we had this on a weeknight, i made the pudding one evening and whipped up the cream and finished it the next. all in all, it was about 20 minutes of active time total. not bad at all.

i will definitely make this again, with one tweak: skip or significantly reduce the zest. sure, the zest adds an extra boost of citrus flavor, but it also adds chewiness and bitterness to the creamy citrus. it didn't bring much to the party.

orange clementine pudding
adapted from cooking light
15 minutes to make, chilling time, 5 minutes to finish, serves 2 adults

3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon each clementine and orange zest (optional)
1/2 cup fresh clementine juice
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1. combine sugar, zest (if using), clementine juice, and orange juice in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. whisk in cornstarch and salt. whisk well to remove any clumps.
2. bring to a boil and boil about two minutes, or until thick.
3. remove from heat and stir in butter. pour into cups or a bowl. cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap (to prevent skin from forming) and chill a few hours until firm or chill overnight.
4. when ready to serve, whip heavy cream in a bowl until very soft peaks form. gradually add the confectioner's sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
5. fold half of the whipped cream into the pudding. serve the remainder on top of the pudding.