Tasty Treat: Best Ever Chocolate Pudding

So many bloggers and food writers have written about pudding and pointed out that it's just as easy to make from scratch as from a packet. No lie, it's just as easy, it's tastier and it's better for you. However, I have yet to find a recipe that doesn't include cornstarch. Cornstarch drives me crazy because, in my humble opinion, it zaps flavor and can add a grittiness!

This week, after absentmindedly buying twice the amount of milk we usually drink, I set out on a mission to use it all up. Chocolate pudding struck me as one of the tastier options. I scoured web sites, cookbooks and magazines and failed to find any recipes without cornstarch. Then, I opened my new favorite cookbook The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco. I've already made several recipes out of it including the Spicy Caramel Popcorn and I was drawn to her chocolate pudding recipe which uses egg yolks to thicken rather than my nemesis, corn starch.

Only problem is DeMasco wanted me to bake the puddings in a water bath for 20 minutes and also called for 70% chocolate, which I didn't have. So, I decided to live on the wild side and change her recipe to suit my needs. I cooked it on the stovetop to make the recipe easier and faster. I also used 55% chocolate (basically semisweet), didn't add any extra sugar and switched out the vanilla bean in favor of vanilla extract. I must pat myself on the back: the result was a creamy, chocolatey masterpiece. Since I made a double batch, the hubby suggested I fill some jam jars with pudding and give it away. It was such fun packaging and a lovely surprise for the friends I bumped into this week. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding

Inspired by Karen DeMasco's Chocolate Pudding

(While I've started with chocolate, this is my new method for pudding making in general and I'm already brainstorming other creations. Oh, and I do promise, you can whip this up in about ten minutes. The hard part is waiting the two hours until it's set.)

What You'll Need:

1 cup (5 oz.) Semi sweet chocolate chips (I use the Guittard 55% extra semisweet. They are incredible!)

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 cup Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 moderate pinches Salt

2 Egg Yolks in a small bowl

Add the cream, milk, vanilla and salt to a medium pot. Set over a medium high heat and stir until nearly boiling. Add the chocolate and stir continuously until it's melted.

Dip a ladle into the chocolate mixture and, while vigorously whisking the egg yolks, slowly slowly slowly add the hot chocolate mixture. Whisk well and then pour it all back into the pot.

Whisking continuously, moderately boil the pudding for a few minutes until it feels thickened. You'll feel a difference almost immediately once the egg yolk mixture is added.

Remove from the heat and pour the pudding into a heat-proof bowl or ramekins or jam jars. Cover the pudding's surface with plastic wrap* (If you like the skin as my husband does, just cover the bowl itself) and refrigerate for a couple hours until it's set.

To serve, eat this luscious pudding all by itself or with a nice dollop of unsweetened whipped cream!

*Note: I don't usually use plastic in my cooking, but I don't know of a better way to prevent the skin from forming. Maybe parchment next time?

Approximate Groceries Cost:
Groceries: $4
Cost per Meal: Do your best to make it to six servings!