Vanilla Pudding

½ vanilla bean
Cut a whole vanilla bean in half crosswise. Don't slit vanilla bean open, unless you don't mind the pudding being spotted with vanilla seeds.

200 ml milk
Place milk and the vanilla bean half in saucepan and bring slowly almost to the boil.

2 egg yolks
50 g sugar
Meanwhile whisk together egg yolks and sugar until ribbons form.

10 g flour or cornstarch
Add flour or cornstarch through a sieve and mix well.
Gradually pour the hot milk into egg-sugar mixture, whisking continually.
Pour mixture back to saucepan and bring rapidly to the boil, stirring continually.

(15 g butter)
(2 tbsp cream)
Cook, stirring, for 1 - 3 minutes (add butter and cream) and strain into a bowl.

Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of pudding to prevent it from forming a skin. Stir pudding every now and then during cooling. When cooled, spoon pudding to serving dishes, cover and chill in refrigerator. Garnish with a dollop of whipped, vanilla-flavoured cream, candied citrus peel strips, mint or lemon balm sprigs, berries etc.