Tahini Brown-Sugar Pudding with Chocolate Ganache and Sesame Brittle
Sometimes the creative process is frustrating. For this post, I really wanted to mix things up with a pudding that was NOT chocolate. Four variations later, I was finally happy with my flavor combination which DID have chocolate in it -but there are far worse things in the world to worry about 🙄. I tried lemon pudding with almond crumbs ❌, I tried an Assam tea pudding with strawberry rhubarb compote and almond crumbs ❌, I tried tahini brown-sugar pudding with strawberry rhubarb compote and sesame brittle ❌, and finally I tried tahini brown-sugar pudding with chocolate ganache and sesame brittle 💥✅💥. I guess the moral of this story is: there should not be dessert without chocolate 🤎🍫🍫🍫🤎!!! All the other flavors were good, they weren’t something I’d be psyched to have for dessert. With a smoky 🔥, nutty flavor, the tahini brown-sugar pudding is the 💣. Add chocolate to that, and you’ve got a winning combo that’s kind of a riff on a peanut butter cup but with a slightly more complex flavor. I also made some sesame brittle for a fun and fancy little topper 💃🏿. It’s also quite tasty, so don’t skip it!
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Tahini Brown-Sugar Pudding with Chocolate Ganache
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
- Yield: about 10, mini (3 oz) cups 1x
Ingredients
Tahini Brown Sugar Custard
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (20 grams) corn flour/corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup tahini*
*You can substitute any nut butter in for the tahini.
Chocolate ganache
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 120 grams (4.25 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
Sesame Brittle
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (66 grams) sesame seeds, white, black, or a combination of both (I actually ran out so I used some pumpkin seeds). You can really probably use any seed or nut.
Instructions
Tahini Pudding
- Pudding is so easy to make. You can play around like I did with some different flavorings and additions.
- Place the milk in a pot on the stove and heat to just below a boil. If it comes to a boil, just give it a minute or 2 to cool before you add it to the egg mixture.
- While you keep an eye on the milk, in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg yolks, corn flour, and salt. While continuing to whisk this mixture (as best you can) slowly pour in the hot milk and continue to whisk until everything is homogeneous. If your pot has any scalded milk bits stuck to it, wash it out and place it back on the stove.
- Pour everything back into the pot and place on low heat. Continue to whisk (especially around the edges of the pot where it’s hottest) for about 5 minutes. The mixture should thicken as you go.
- Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer back into the bowl. Whisk in the vanilla and tahini and then refrigerate until the custard is cool – for about 3-4 hours or overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place the cream in a heat proof vessel and place in the microwave until it’s hot to the touch but not boiling. Add in the chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute. Then whisk until the cream and chocolate are combined.
Sesame Brittle (see video tutorial in my IGTV @bigredhousekitchen)
- Prepare a baking pan with a silpat mat or grease a piece of parchment and place in a baking pan.
- Gently stir together the sugar and water in a pot, place on the stove, and turn the heat to medium. Keep an eye on the pot, but do not stir it. The mixture will eventually come to a boil. Continue to keep an eye on it and when you see it start to turn a bit amber colored, you can agitate the pot so that the amber colored syrup gets distributed more evenly. Keep a close eye on it and continue to cook until the syrup turns a medium-dark amber (make sure it doesn’t get too dark and burn). From the time you put the heat on until it becomes the medium-dark amber should take about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula, stir in the vanilla, salt, and sesame seeds (the syrup might bubble and steam, so just be careful). Quickly turn out the brittle onto your prepared parchment or silpat and try to spread it out as much as you can before it becomes too hard. Allow it to cool and then break into pieces.
Assemble
You can assemble this in any way you want. I put a layer of chocolate ganache on the bottom followed by some pudding and then another layer of chocolate. You can also drip some ganache down the sides for a stripey look. You can fill the cups up to a day in advance and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Add the brittle to the top just before serving.