A lot of you know by now that Gourmet magazine has ceased publication and the November 2009 issue will be their last. This saddens many of us who have been inspired by this amazing magazine. I for one have loved looking at the food photography and trying out many recipe. I even bought the Gourmet Cookbook when it came out and it’s still one of my favorites. Anyway, I had long ago let my subscription to Gourmet expire so when I heard the news, I felt a twinge of guilt. Even if I did quite often buy the monthly issues when I went grocery shopping. If you are also a fan of Gourmet, be sure to check out this wonderful tribute website- Thank You Gourmet -and read what other fans have to say.

It was bittersweet when I got the last issue of Gourmet recently, but I was just as excited to look through it as I always am. There are a lot of recipes I’m curious to try, but one of them jumped out at me instantly: Café Au Lait Puddings.

This recipe got me excited not only because we love our coffee in this household, but because this was a chance to use a little of of our weekly gallon of raw milk! Plus, I can’t remember the last time I made pudding that didn’t involve rice. I had scooped out about 16 oz. of raw cream from the top of the milk just last night. Fresh whipped cream? Oh yes, please!
Instead of using instant coffee granules, I opted for fresh brewed espresso to give it more of a kick. I also wanted to hand-whip the fresh cream, so I made sure to put a bowl and whisk in the freezer so that they would super cold. Honey and a little bit of good quality vanilla extract to enhance the already amazing taste.

It’s an intensely flavored pudding and anyone who loves strong coffee will definitely enjoy it. I’m sure the original recipe is also really tasty. I only made enough for two, but the original recipe gives you enough for four. It’s incredibly easy and fast to do and you don’t have to whip your cream by hand like I did!