Featured Recipe:

Velvety Chocolate Pudding

Serves: 6-8
Difficulty:

Preperation: About 30 minutes of cooking time
Special Equipment: Heat-proof plastic spatula or straight-sided wooden spatula

Ingredients:

6 oz Couverture chocolate (60% to 72% cacao is best) (1 1/4 cup)

1 T Unsalted Butter

1 T Vanilla or liqueur

2 T Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa

2 T Corn Starch

4.6 oz Sugar (2/3 cup)

8 oz Whipping Cream (1 cup)

4 each Egg Yolks

16 oz Whole milk (2 cup)

1/8 tsp Salt

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Unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa
Deluxe dutch-processed cocoa with a minimum of 24% cocoa butter
Size: 4 oz
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Bittersweet Couverture 72
Bittersweet Couverture--72%
Size: 12 oz
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Directions:

Introduction:

The beauty of this pudding is that its texture and flavor is nearly as exquisite as it’s French cousin, the pôt de crème – which is made with chocolate and egg yolks, but no starch. But because pôt de crème hasn’t any starch, it must be baked in a Bain Marie (water bath) – which is quite a bit more work. I wanted to give you a rich, creamy custard-like pudding, without the fuss. It is the ultimate comfort food, and a perfect vehicle to showcase the flavor characteristics of high quality chocolate.

This recipe is easy to alter, according to your taste. Choose a high cacao content chocolate between 65-72% if you like deep, intense flavor. If you like a pudding which a little more ethereal, use a lower cacao content of around 60%.

The vanilla may be replaced with a liqueur of your choice to add complexity to the flavor. Bon Appetite.

Notes:

I list ingredients by weight first (for those of you who use a kitchen scale) with the equivalent dry measure to the right for those who prefer cup measurements. It is more accurate to use a scale however, as well as it leaves fewer dishes to clean and speeds up the process.

Don’t be intimidated by the number of procedures. It is easier to keep track of the steps if they are itemized by line as apposed to being buried in paragraph form.

In confectionary and baking (dessert) recipes it is best to measure all ingredients before adding the heat.

Instructions (in order):

1. Weigh (or measure) the chocolate. If using bar chocolate -- chop it rather fine. Reserve.

2. Measure the unsalted butter into a tiny bowl, add the vanilla or liqueur. Reserve.

3. Sieve the Dutch cocoa and cornstarch into a heavy bottom saucepan.

4. Add the sugar to the cocoa and cornstarch. Whisk together.

5. Add the whipping cream to the dry ingredients in the saucepan. Whisk together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cream mixture. Whisk together.

7. Add the whole milk to the cream mixture. Whisk together.

8. Add the salt to the cream-milk mixture. Whisk together.

9. Turn on the heat to medium high, stirring slowly with a wooden or plastic heat resistant spatula.

10. Add the reserved chocolate, stirring constantly to keep the cream/chocolate mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan.

11. Bring the cream/chocolate mixture to a boil (it will begin to sputter) and heat to medium low. Note: The mixture will have little specks of un-melted chocolate until it just begins to boil.

12. Simmer the mixture, stirring constantly for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon or cook to 195 Degrees F if you have a quick read thermometer to monitor the mixture. Note: During the last two minutes the chocolate will completely melt, forming a thick, ultra-smooth velvety texture.

13. Remove from heat, and strain the pudding through a large sieve into a bowl (preferably with a spout.) Note: The last straining process removes any lumps or residual cooked egg whites.

14. Add the reserved butter and flavoring and stir to combine.

15. Pour or ladle the mixture into 6 to 8 attractive serving bowls (or tail gate plastic containers).

16. Serve warm, or chilled with a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cocoa (optional.)

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