Blueberry Shortcakes with Vanilla Pudding

A while back K invited me over to dinner along with the other students working in his lab. It was a celebration for a multitude of things: my completion of the Masters, V's success in her first year of grad school, and M's graduation from Purdue Undergraduate program. K made an awesome green curry and though most of us were pretty full after that we still managed to pack in the dessert I brought along.

I had intended it to be light and springy but the pudding turned out a little more dense than I had hoped (seems to be a common theme). It could probably have done with less cornstarch than the recipe called for. Nonetheless, it tasted wonderful and was gone in about 60 seconds.


Blueberry Shortcakes with Vanilla Pudding

Shortcakes:
2 1/4 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t.salt
2 T. sugar
1 stick butter cubed
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 lemon of zest

Preheat the oven to 450.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Work in the cubed butter with your hands or a pastry blender until mealy. Add the zest.

Add the buttermilk and stir until just combined.

On a floured surface roll out the dough to the desired thickness and cut into circles. Brush the tops with some of the left over buttermilk and back for 12-15 minutes.

Vanilla Pudding:
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch (Reduced from 1/3 c.)
2 large egg yolks
1/4 t. salt
3 c. low fat (1%) milk
1 vanilla bean
1 lemon of zest

Combine the sugar, salt, and egg yolks.

Whisk the cornstarch into the cold milk and slowly whisk that into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk until smooth.

Split a vanilla bean and add the seeds and the pod to the mixture. Add the lemon zest.

Cook over medium-high, whisking occasionally, until the first bubbles appear on surface.

Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute more.

Pour pudding through a sieve into bowl in order to get rid of the solids.

Chill the pudding in a bowl for at least two hours. Put plastic wrap directly onto the pudding to keep a skin from forming.


Assembly:
Place the shortcake on a plate and top with the pudding.

Cover with the desired amount of blueberries.

Top with freshly whipped cream.