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Root Beer Pudding

By Malcolm Livingston II
Image may contain Food Dessert Creme Cream and Ice Cream
Root Beer PuddingPeter Ross

Malcolm Livingston II, the pastry chef at WD~50 in New York City, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious.

What's the inspiration behind this unusual dessert? "Chef Wylie Dufresne said to me, 'We both love root beer, so let's make it come to life as a dessert,' " Livingston explains.

The first challenge was finding the right root beer. Livingston and Dufresne tried making their own, and sampled 12 different sodas before finding Fitz's —that's their preferred brand, but feel free to use your favorite.

Consistency and texture were the next obstacles. "I wanted to make a pudding that had the consistency of Jell-O pudding, but with more texture, so I crushed up barrel-shaped root beer candies," says Livingston. The candy was combined with milk, milk powder, cornstarch, root beer, and eggs to create a smooth and creamy pudding that Livingston likens to "a solidified root beer float." Use extra caution when grinding the root beer candy, which can be hard on anything but a commercial or high-powered blender.

Cooks' Note

_*Root beer candies can be found at some supermarkets, pharmacies, or candy shops, or ordered online from Good Old Day Store.

**Nonfat milk powder can be found at some supermarkets, or ordered online from King Arthur Flour.

_

***Glucose syrup is similar to corn syrup but much thicker; it helps prevent sugar crystallization and is used to make caramel and various candies. It can be found in some specialty markets or ordered online from The Baker's Kitchen.

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