April Cooking--Vanilla Pudding

I like to put fresh strawberries on top. 

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and slat in a medium saucepan.  Slowly whisk in the half-and-half and then the yolks. 

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Stir the butter and vanilla into the pudding until the butter is melted. 

Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh strainer, into a bowl, scraping the inside of the strainer with a rubber spatula to pass the pudding through.  Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.