Tastes Like Vintage: Pudding-o-rama 2

Moonstone glass sherbet cups by TatterAndFray

If you watch cooking shows or order dessert in any kind of restaurant, it’s a near certainty you’re going to see a wedge of cake on a plate that’s either dusted in confectionery sugar or cocoa powder and/or has a drizzle of something squeezed out of the kind of bottle you used to find ketchup in at the local drive in. The first few hundred times you saw cake with drizzle and maybe a sprig of mint, you probably thought to yourself “how swank.” But the second hundred times, you probably thought to yourself it was time for something new.

I’m here to suggest the best way to bring swank back to dessert is to make a move back. It’s time for the classic vintage parfait dish to march forth from the cabinet to break the monotony of dull dessert presentation. Nothing elevates a dessert from blah and woo-hoo quicker than raising it off the table a few inches with a delicate, delightful glass stem.

Vintage dessert cups by Anidar

In fairness, not every dessert can be taken uptown in a parfait cup. Apple pie, for example, would look a tad ridiculous crushed into a dainty parfait when everyone knows the only true and honest way to serve apple pie is slightly warm on a plate with a minimum of one scoop of ice cream. No, parfait cups are not for pie. They are, however, for pudding. Sweet Moments Dessert, an undated cookbooklet from General Foods is the source for the clutch of Jell-O pudding recipes below, designed to snap us all out of dessert monotony. Ladies and gentlemen, Tastes Like Vintage presents Pudding-o-rama.

Peanut Butter Pudding

Place 1/4 cup peanut butter in a saucepan. Gradually add 2 cups milk, stirring constantly to blend well. Add 1 package (4 oz) Jell-O Butterscotch, Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge Pudding and Pie Filling. Blend thoroughly. Cook as directed on package. Cool in a bowl, cover surface with wax paper. Spoon into individual serving dishes. Makes 4 servings.

Hazel Atlas sherbet cups by ionesAttic

Lemon Coconut Pudding

Prepare 1 package (3.5 oz) Jell-O Lemon Pudding and Pie Filling as directed on package. Cool. Fold in 3/4 cup shredded coconut. Spoon into individual serving dishes. Garnish with additional coconut. Chill. Makes 4 servings.

Orange Cream Pudding

Prepare 1 package (3 1/4  oz) Jell-O Coconut Cream or Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling or Jell-O Vanilla Tapioca Pudding as directed on package, reducing milk to 1 1/2 cups. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 tsp. orange rind. Cover surface with wax paper. Chill before serving. Makes 4 servings.