MY TURN!!! TWD: Chocolate Pudding

This week it was my turn to choose the recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie. It was a challenge to pick just one. I seriously thought I was going to choose something other than a dessert (I'm kind of not a dessert person...yea yea yea...my jaw is on the floor too), but then the chocolate pudding caught my eye. I LOVE chocolate pudding. I remember being a kid and my mom making it for us - it's just one of my all time favorite comfort foods.

This was so easy to make. It really looked more time consuming than it was. Some people apparently had problems because their food processors overflowed. I didn't have any problem with my 11-cup processor. It was perfect. Topped with some whipped cream, the pudding was oh so yummy and so smooth...I'm assuming due to the food processor although I might try a hand blender next time for extra easy pudding! I had lots of taste testers too since I made this at my parent's house. Everyone loved it and I'll definitely make it again. My sister will just have to be jealous that she missed it since she was in Hawaii! Ok...maybe I'm the one who should be jealous!

Make sure you check out everyone else's pudding here.

Chocolate Pudding
Courtesy of Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 2 ¼ cups whole milk
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and still warm
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Have six ramekins or pudding cups, each holding 4 to 6 ounces (½ to ¾ cup), at hand.

Bring 2 cups of the milk and 3 tablespoons of the sugar to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

While the milk is heating, put the cocoa, cornstarch and salt into a food processor and whir to blend. Turn them out onto a piece of wax paper, put the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg and egg yolks into the processor and blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining ¼ cup milk and pulse just to mix, then add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to blend.

With the machine running, very slowly pour in the hot milk mixture. Process for a few seconds, then put everything back into the saucepan. Whisk without stopping over medium heat – making sure to get into the edges of the pan – until the pudding thickens and a couple of bubbles burble up to the surface and pop (about 2 minutes). You want the pudding to thicken, but you don’t want it to boil, so lower the heat if necessary.

Scrape the pudding back into the processor (if there’s a scorched spot, avoid it as you scrape) and pulse a couple of times. Add the chocolate, butter and vanilla and pulse until everything is evenly blended.

Pour the pudding into the ramekins. If you don’t want a skin to form (some people think the skin is the best part), press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of each pudding to create an airtight seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Makes 6 servings

Serving: I think these are vest served with a small spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche, but when I was a kid, My-T-Fine was often topped with a layer of un-whipped cold heavy cream.

Storing: Covered, and kept away from foods with strong odors, the puddings can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Playing Around: If you’d like to add a little crunch to these puddings, your options are myriad. You could fold Scharffen Berger cocoa nibs (see page 479) into the hot pudding, or you could sprinkle some over the whipped cream topping. Another choice is to borrow the crunchies from another dessert – for instance, the spiced nut, raisin and chocolate swirl from Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake (page 182) – and make them the middle layer of the puddings.