February 26, 2011

Decadent Chocolate Pudding


Two years ago, before I started really cooking, I would have been completely satisfied ripping open a package of Jello powdered pudding, adding some milk and calling it dessert. 

Now, I'm much more interested in what I'm eating. I'm finding the more I cook, the less interested I am in pre-packaged foods. Without even thinking, I've stopped eating Kraft Dinner (which I honestly used to love), canned soup, salad dressing, pre-made oatmeal -- all in favour of making these foods myself. I enjoy knowing what's going into my food and trying to make it as fresh as possible. 

One more step in that was making this decadent chocolate pudding. Making it from scratch can't even compare to a package. The flavour is richer and more choclatey, the texture is thicker and dense. And, most surprisingly, I felt much more satisfied after a single serving than I would have with a whole box of packaged stuff (not that I ever ate a whole box...). So I'm finding that I'm not only enjoying the process of cooking more, but I am certainly enjoying the results!

What do you make from scratch that you used to buy pre-made?

Decadent Chocolate Pudding
Serves 6

Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped


Directions
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the sugar. Add the egg yolks and pour in 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk until combined.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining two cups of mils and the heavy cream over medium heat until the mixture just comes to a boil. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the cocoa mixture.
  • Rinse out the saucepan (but don't dry to avoid scorching) and return custard mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the vanilla. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard has thickened slightly (Martha said until about the consistency of mayonnaise, but mine never got that thick and turned out great). Do not let it boil and don't worry if lumps form.
  • Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Add the chopped chocolate in two batches, stirring until thoroughly melted after each addition.
  • Divide the pudding among six ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least four hours or overnight before serving. 
  • Garnish with whipped cream if desired.
Recipe from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics

12 comments:

  1. i don't even like chocolate and this looks good! and i definitely know what you mean about the boxed stuff!

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  2. Love this kind of recipe; easy and chocolaty; saving this one.
    Rita

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  3. AH! this looks FANTASTICCCCCCC !
    thankyouthankyou for the recipe, ima try it out one day and ill def. add a link of your blog on to my post as a ref. (:

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  4. These are some beautiful chocolate puddings! I am a sucker for chocolate!

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  5. Oh! Your chocolate pudding looks delicious, so rich in flavor and color...love it! What a lovely treat :-)

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  6. I love your recipe, it sounds amazing and I bet it tastes awesome too. Thanks for sharing, I'll bookmark this :)

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  7. Lindsay, this pudding looks sooo good! I love chocolate pudding!

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  8. Beautiful little servings of pudding. I love it when a smaller serving satisfies a craving.

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  9. Cakes. A cake mix never makes it into my basket anymore and I just can't go back now that I have made various cakes that taste so much better. Your puddings look so rich and creamy. YUM! :)

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  10. This pudding sounds delicious and great presentation! I'm enjoying your blog. Looks like a ton of yummy recipes! I look forward to following. :)

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  11. I make my own stock, but haven't tried making pudding from scratch. Maybe during the Easter holidays.

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