Irish Coffee Pudding
Irish coffee pudding, a light, chilled coffee mousse spiked with Irish whiskey and lightened with whipped cream and egg whites. Set tall like a cold souffle and crowned with cream and walnuts.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
240 minThis pudding is an Irish coffee reimagined as a cool, airy dessert: strong coffee and a generous splash of Irish whiskey suspended in a light, gelatin-set mousse.
It’s built like a cold souffle. A paper collar tied around the dish lets the pudding set taller than its rim, so when you peel the collar away it stands dramatically above the dish, just like a risen souffle but chilled.
The texture is the work of three lightening steps. Whipped cream and beaten egg whites are folded into the coffee-yolk base right as it begins to set, trapping air for that cloud-like, melt-in-the-mouth feel. Timing matters: fold them in just as the mixture reaches the point of setting, not before.
A hollow pressed into the center gets filled with sweetened whipped cream, the ‘cream’ of an Irish coffee, and crushed walnuts pressed around the sides finish it off.
Chef Tips
- Don’t let the coffee boil when dissolving the gelatin; just hot enough to melt it fully.
- Fold in the cream and egg whites right as the base reaches the point of setting, so the air stays trapped.
- Use a paper collar standing about 3 inches above the dish so the pudding can set tall.
- Dip your knife in hot water to release the collar cleanly.
Variations
- Use Irish Mist or coffee liqueur in place of the whiskey.
- Decorate with chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa alongside the walnuts.
- Set it in individual glasses for an easier, collar-free version.
Ingredients
Directions
Separate the yolks from the whites of eggs.
In a bowl, cream with yolks with the sugar.
Heat the coffee until hot but not boiling: add the gelatine and dissolve it in the coffee.
Add this mixture to the yolks and sugar.
Beat well and put the bowl over a pot of boiling water.
Continue beating until mixture begins to thicken.
Remove from heat, and when the bowl has cooled a little, place it over cracked ice and continue stirring.
When the mixture is on the point of setting, whip the cream and fold it in.
Add the whiskey or Irish Mist.
Lastly, fold in the well-beaten egg whites.
Pour into a souffle dish that has a double thickness of parchment paper tied around it: the paper should come up 3 inches above the top of the souffle dish.
Oil a jam-jar or bottle and press it down into the center of the pudding.
Leave to set in the refrigerator.
Remove the paper collar by easing around the circumference with a knife dipped in hot water.
Remove the jar or bottle, and fill the center with: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped, sweetened with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
You can also decorate the exposed sides of the pudding with crushed walnuts, pressed on with the palm of your hand.
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