Carrageen moss pudding is a Ballymaloe House speciality, and we serve it on the dessert trolley every night. Mrs Allen’s recipe yields a silky and delicate dessert, with the most pleasing texture that is transcendent. The trick is to use just enough moss for the milk to have a soft set and gentle flavour – too much and the dish will be firm and less sophisticated and have too strong a ‘seaweed’ flavour. We like to serve the pudding with softly whipped cream, a sprinkle of soft dark brown sugar and a fruit compote of what’s in season. For a party, Mrs. Allen liked to serve the pudding topped with a thick Irish Coffee Sauce and whipped cream.
7 g/¼ oz (approx. 1 semi-closed fistful) cleaned, well-dried carrageen moss
900 ml/30 floz (3¾ cups) milk
1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
To serve
Softly whipped cream
Dark muscovado sugar or Irish Coffee Sauce
Have a 1.2litre/2 pint (5 cup) serving dish or eight individual serving glasses to hand and set to one side.
Soak the carrageen moss in a bowl of tepid water for 10 minutes. It will swell and increase in size. Strain off and discard the water and then put the carrageen into a saucepan with the milk and the vanilla pod, if using. (If using vanilla extract, it will be added later.) Bring the milk slowly to the boil, watching that it doesn’t heat too fast: if the milk heats too quickly, it might suddenly expand in volume and overflow. Reduce the temperature to maintain a very gentle simmer for about 15 minutes, until the carrageen moss has softened and somewhat dissolved into the milk.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Test for a set by placing a teaspoon of the mixture on a saucer. This small amount, when cooled, will show how firm a set the pudding will have. Ideally the mixture should have a soft set; if it is too firm a little more milk can be added to adjust it. If it does not test for a set, cook for a few more minutes.
At that point and not before, separate the egg. Put the white in a spotlessly clean bowl and set to one side. Put the yolk into a separate bowl with the sugar and vanilla extract, if using, and whisk together for a few seconds. Pour the hot milk and carrageen moss through a fine mesh sieve into the egg yolk mixture, whisking all the time. By now the carrageen in the strainer will be swollen and exuding jelly and you will need to press as much of this as possible through the sieve. Use a rubber spatula, scraping any pulp stuck to the outside of the sieve into the egg and milk mixture and whisk to combine. Discard the vanilla pod, if using.
Whisk the egg white to a stiff peak and gently fold it into the top of the milk mixture, allowing it to remain as slightly uneven fluffy peaks. Do not be tempted to over mix, as the egg white should create a distinct layer on top. Transfer to the serving dish, or divide between the individual serving glasses, and place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serve chilled with softly whipped cream and dark muscovado sugar or Irish coffee sauce.
Dissolve sugar in 1/3 cup of water over heat and continue cooking to a caramel. Remove from heat. Pour in 1 cup water and continue cooking until caramel is dissolved and smooth. Do not stir.
Make a caramel as above. Add coffee (made to drinking strength) instead of cold water. Cook and add whiskey.
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