Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin)

I absolutely adore Japanese desserts. They are light and not too sweet. A perfect way to end a meal without walking away feeling stuffed. Pudding, or purin as the Japanese call it, is a popular dessert in Japan. It is usually more firm than an American-style pudding, more like a custard’s consistency. The most common flavor is vanilla with caramel sauce and it's one of my favorites. I am lucky to live in a city that has many Japanese bakeries. About 6 months ago, I tasted my first Black Sesame Pudding and it was love at first bite.

Over the weekend, I was browsing on La Fuji Mama and saw that Rachael had created a recipe for Black Sesame Pudding (Kuro Goma Purin). It looked easy enough and I already had a jar of black sesame seeds in my pantry. Using black sesame seeds is much easier than finding black sesame paste for me. I ran to my local grocery store for a cup of heavy cream and whipped this dessert up in a jiffy. Super simple!

The taste? The toasted black sesame flavor paired with the creamy milk custard was perfect. I was a little worried that it wasn't going to set properly because working with gelatin is not always easy. But the texture came out exactly like I had it last time from a bakery. This recipe is a winner!