Vietnamese coffee pudding

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes Makes: 4 servings 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1⁄2 tablespoons cornstarch 1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 cup whole espresso beans 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 ⁄2 cup whole milk 1⁄2 cup heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split, scraped 1⁄2 cup prepared espresso (about 4 shots) Whipped cream 1 Prep: Drop butter and vanilla into a large bowl. Top with a fine-mesh strainer. Set aside. 2 Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt. 3 Crack: Slide espresso beans into a zip-close bag. Roll over the bag with a rolling pin, cracking, but not pulverizing, the beans. 4 Scald: In a large saucepan, bring condensed milk, milk, cream, vanilla bean (and its seeds), espresso beans and espresso just to a boil. 5 Temper: Slowly pour about 1⁄2 cup of the hot mixture over eggs, whisking constantly. Pour egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick, about 1 minute. 6 Strain: Pour custard through the sieve onto the butter and vanilla. Discard contents of sieve. 7 Blend: Swirl smooth with an immersion blender or whisk. Let cool. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the pudding. Chill until cold (or up to 3 days). 8 Serve: Scoop pudding into 4 demitasses (small coffee cups). Top with whipped cream. Enjoy. Provenance: Adapted from a recipe by pastry chefs Zoe Nathan and Laurel Almerinda of Cassia in LA.