Pudding takes its rightful place as trendy dessert of the year

Who doesn't love the soft, creamy texture of old-fashioned puddings?

For many, this nostalgic ultimate comfort food brings back fond childhood memories.

Bon Appétit magazine identifies pudding as one of the top 10 trends — the dessert of this year.

"It's the most luscious and satisfying way to end a meal," writes Alice Medrich, a former chocolate-shop owner and author of the recently released "Pure Dessert."

"Puddings never went away," says Chris Kimball, founder and editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine.

But over the years, the real pleasure and quality of the easy-to-eat homemade dessert has been lost as people turned to buying packaged mixes and ready-to-eat refrigerated cups and containers.

Unfortunately, those familiar with only packaged and pre-made varieties are missing out on a good thing.

"It doesn't surprise me that people buy mixes (pudding, cake, pie crusts, frozen pizza, etc.)," says Kimball. "People are bloody lazy. How hard is it to make pudding?"

Pudding from scratch takes a little bit more work, but it is easy and tastes far superior.

"Pudding, to me, means chocolate pudding," Kimball continues, adding that the English use puddings to describe desserts in general.

"The thing about a pudding is that the texture of pudding coats the tongue so you get a much more intense flavor experience than [with] other desserts like a chocolate cake."

Nowadays, you'll find an array of puddings on restaurant menus. Or you can whip up some terrific versions at home.

Homey or haute, pudding has a place in our hearts.