Lemon Pudding Recipe

posted in: Dessert, Recipes | 1

Lemon Pudding is delicious served with the berries that will be coming into season this summer or with strawberry rhubarb sauce. This version is vegan, mildly sweet and thickened with agar and kuzu root starch. You can find the ingredients in most natural food stores. In a pinch, arrowroot can replace the kuzu, but I haven’t tried it with this recipe. Kuzu has specific healing qualities, too, that make it worth searching out.

The last few times I have made this I had to puree it in the middle of the recipe to get it smooth. Sometimes the amasake will curdle in the apple juice. Pureeing it works like a charm and is worth the extra effort. I use my hand blender.

Lemon Pudding

2 cups apple juice
1 cup plain or almond amasake
1 cup water
2 heaping tablespoons agar flakes
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu
juice from 1 lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
1-2 Tbsp brown rice syrup
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1.  Mix the juice, amasake, half of the water and agar in a medium size saucepan.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes to soften the agar.

2.  Heat this mixture on the stove at medium heat, whisking frequently to help the agar dissolve. Add the sea salt and lemon zest. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. At this point, if there are clumps or strands of agar that didn’t dissolve, remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender or standing blender. Return to simmer.

3.  Mix the kuzu with the remaining water. Stir to dissolve clumps. Pour in a steady stream into the saucepan with the other ingredients, whisking constantly to avoid clumping. Simmer/boil until the mixture becomes clear and thickens slightly. This usually takes 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

4.  Stir in lemon juice, brown rice syrup and optional vanilla. Pour into dessert dishes. Cool on the counter or in the refrigerator.

Notes:

For a thicker pudding, increase the amount of agar and kuzu to 3 Tbsp each.
Adjust the sweetener to your liking.