Pudding doesn’t often get much respect in the fancy-desserts arena; for many people (myself included), our first mental image of this treat comes in the form of the little plastic cups from Jell-O or Swiss Miss that were regularly tucked into our elementary school lunch bags.

However, an Italian variation on this schoolyard snack has succeeded in breaking down the barriers separating pudding from the elite sweets pantheon, to the point where you’ll see budino –– Italy’s answer to pudding — on upscale bistro menus in major cities throughout the U.S.