My pudding's cooked!

It seemed like a risk to use UHT milk for the banana pudding I made yesterday. While I don't have the shelf complex that other Americans do, I just could never adjust to its taste. (And believe me, I forced down many a glass while living in Spain.) Don't they always say never to cook with a wine you wouldn't drink? I know someone influential said that because I feel guilty every time I buy cheap wine for cooking. Anyway, I felt brave as I poured out two cups into the mixing bowl, no tasting.

Now, UHT milk ("shelf milk") has a lot of things going for it. It is cheap, long-lasting, and packaged in Tetra Pak (thereby both stackable and absurdly appealing to me). I had been eyeing it on the shelf there, wishing I didn't think it tasted so weird, for a long time. In the end, it was the good old dollar that worked its magic on my hard heart and convinced me to give it another try.

The moment of truth came even before the pudding was cooked, as there was just enough leftover milk left for a taste. And – I am trying desperately to think of a way to make this more dramatic but am coming up empty – it tasted good. I liked it. Whether it was the result of maturing tastebuds or advanced processing or the Swiss milk or simple necessity I suppose I will never know. What I do know is that milk now costs less than gas.

So the lesson (since I can't seem to help forming a formal conclusion for you) is: eat some things you don't like every once in a while and you might be pleasantly surprised.