Midnight Black Chocolate Pudding

makes 4 servings

adapted from Tyler Florence

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2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (just 1/2 cup sugar if using regular cocoa powder)

1/3 cup black onyx cocoa powder

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean

1 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

pinch of salt

Place 2 cups milk in a medium saucepan with  sugar and cocoa powder.  Heat over medium heat until steaming and warm.  You don’t necessarily have to boil the mixture, just heat it up and whisk it together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup milk, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.  Drizzle about half of the steaming hot chocolate milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  This will temper the eggs, making them a bit warm before they’re cooked over a flame.  Return all of the chocolate, milk, egg mixture back to the saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, whisking nearly constantly.  Make sure the get into the corners of the pan where the pudding might stick and overcook.

When pudding starts to boil, continue to whisk and boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Pudding will thicken.  Remove from heat and spoon into 4 ramekins or jars.  Cover with plastic wrap (on the surface of the pudding if you want to avoid pudding skin).  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

For the whipped cream, whip together heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt.  Dollop over cold pudding and serve.

Homemade Pistachio Pudding

makes 6 small ramekins

adapted from cooks.com

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Pistachio Paste:

1/2 cup salted pistachio nuts

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

Pudding:

2 cups whole milk

2 large egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup pistachio nuts, chopped

To make the Pistachio Paste:  place pistachios in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until the nuts are in small bits.  Add the sugar and water, and blend until relatively smooth.  Easy!

To make the Pudding:  Spoon Pistachio Paste into a medium saucepan.  Add the milk and whisk over medium heat.  Heat milk and pistachio until steamy and hot.

While milk is heating, whisk together granulated sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and pinch of salt.  Mixture will be thick.  Keep whisking until it’s smooth.  Pour about 1/2 cup of the steaming pistachio milk into the sugar and egg mixture.  Whisk together.  Add another half cup of hot milk and whisk to incorporate.  Return the milky egg mixture into the saucepan over medium heat.

Heat pudding mixture over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Whisk almost constantly.  You might also want to use a heat-proof spatula to stir the mixture, ensuring that the sides and corners of the pan aren’t burning. Boil for about 1 minute, or until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract, until butter is melted.  Pass cooked pudding through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl.  This will ensure that any cooked egg bits don’t make it into the finished pudding.  Press the pudding through the strainer.  Add a few of the pistachio nut bits that the strainer catches, back to the pudding if you’d like

Spoon into small ramekins, place plastic wrap over the individual puddings (so the plastic touches the top of the pudding), and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and chipped pistachios.

Pudding will last, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Butterscotch Pudding with Caramelized Bananas and Cream

serves 4 to 6 people

recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

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For the Pudding:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon whisky (optional, but dang delicious)

For the Bananas:

2 to 3 ripe but firm bananas, sliced about 1/3″ thick, at an angel

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

scant 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons whisky (optional, but delicious)

For the Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons whisky (again… optional, but delicious)

about 8 graham crackers, coarsely crumbled

Melt butter in a medium saucepan  I used a saucepan with a rounded bottom, which helped keep any pudding bits from getting over cooked and curdled in the corners of the pan during the whisking phase.  If you have a big enough pan with a slightly rounded bottom, go for it!  If not… totally not the end of the world.

Add brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk together to ensure that all of the brown sugar is moistened by the  butter.  The mixture will be grainy.  That’s ok.  Remove the pan from the flame.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, salt and 1/4 cup of milk.  Make sure there are no cornstarch lumps in the mixture.  Whisk in the eggs.

Return the sugar and butter mixture to a medium-low flame.  Pour in the milk, cream and cornstarch mixture.  Whisk almost constantly as the mixture heats.  The mixture will thicken just as it starts to simmer.  Allow to simmer, whisking constantly, until the pudding is the thickness of warm hot fudge sauce.  Pass the pudding through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl.  Stir in the vanilla extract and whisky. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, directly on top of the pudding, and allow to cool and thicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Once the pudding is thickened, caramelize the bananas.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan.  Add banana slices in a single layer and top with brown sugar.  Allow bananas to brown on one side.  Flip bananas, cook down the sugar, and allow bananas to brown on the other side.  This took me about 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove pan from the flame and drizzle in about 2 teaspoons of whisky.  The pan will sizzle a bit.  Use this sizzling time to remove the bananas and sugar from the pan and place on a plate to cool slightly before using.

While the bananas cool, whip together cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and whisky.  Whip until soft peaks form.

In 4 or 6 small serving dishes, add a few spoonfuls of pudding.  Top with a few banana spices, crumbled graham crackers and whipped cream.  Repeat layering once more.  Serve immediately or place in the fridge if necessary.  Graham crackers will lose their crunch if they sit in the pudding in the fridge… just so you know.

Deb’s Caramel Pudding

from Smitten Kitchen

serves 8 small servings or 4 caramel pudding lover servings

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Sweet.  Smooth.  Will force you to forget about boring old chocolate or vanilla pudding for the rest of your days.  Topped with coarse sea salt and whipped cream… you might think you’re Sherry Yard and your kitchen is Spago.  You’re not Sherry Yard and your kitchen is not Spago… but for a moment… ooh yes… it will be.

4 cups whole milk

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

coarse sea salt and whipped cream for topping

In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, vanilla and salt until smooth. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar with 6 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 8 minutes.  Be sure not to stir the cooking sugar.  If anything, feel free to swirl the pan around a bit.   Be patient but watch the stove like a hawk as caramel changes color quickly.  This is no time for multitasking.  Just stand there and enjoy watching your caramel cook.

Remove from the heat. Very gradually whisk in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk.  As you begin whisking it in, the caramel will get very dark and begin to seize with the cold milk.  Not to worry… everything will work out.

Return the pot to the stove and whisk over moderate heat until the caramel has dissolved again. Once again, watch this closely as the milk will foam up quickly as it comes to a simmer. Simmer over moderately low heat until the mixture thickens  just slightly and deepens in color, about 10 minutes.

Gradually whisk the cornstarch mixture into the caramel. Cook again over moderate heat, stirring, until the pudding thickens, about one minute.  The pudding may look and feel pretty loose, but will thicken nicely when chilled in the fridge.

Strain the pudding fine strainer set over a large measuring cup; if you are, you can skip this and nothing terrible will happen. Scrape the pudding into eight 1/2-cup ramekins and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours.

To avoid a pudding skin press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of each pudding dish as it chills.  Top with a generous sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a big ol’ dollop of whipped cream.

Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce

makes about 2 cups

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

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1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cup into 1/2 Tablespoons

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 teaspoons hot water

Stir together cocoa powder, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, salt and half of the chopped chocolate in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until chocolate is melted.  Cook mixture at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder into 1 1/2 teaspoons hot water.

Remove the sauce from heat, add remaining chocolate, butter, espresso mixture and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.  Cool slightly before serving.

Cooled sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.  Reheat over low heat, stirring to serve after it’s been chilled.

Persimmon Pudding

some old school Indiana newspaper 1976

makes 6 to 8 servings

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2 cups fresh Hachiya persimmon pulp, removed from the skin

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for buttering dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×9 baking dish and set aside

Stir the baking soda and sugar into the persimmon pulp and set aside.  This mixture may thicken as it sits… that’s ok!

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.  Add to the persimmon mixture all at once and stir until flour is almost completely incorporated.

Whisk together milk, egg and butter and add to the persimmon and flour mixture.  Batter will be very loose.  Pour into the baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour covered with foil, or uncovered.  If you make the pudding covered, you’ll have a very wet and moist pudding.  If you bake the pudding uncovered, you’ll have a drier pudding topped with a bread like crust.  I baked my pudding uncovered.  Bake the pudding until it is firm but still very moist.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.  Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Milk Chocolate Pudding

Gourmet, February 2007

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2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

4 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan.  Gradually whisk in milk and cream.  Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly.  Boil, whisking for two minutes.  Mixture will be thick.  Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate pieces and vanilla extract.  Stir until melted and smooth.

Transfer pudding to four or six small dishes.  Cover the surface with wax paper, to prevent a skin from forming, and place in the fridge until cool and set, about two hours.

In the meantime, make the whipped cream and raspberry sauce.

To assemble, top the chocolate pudding with whipped cream and raspberry sauce and serve immediately.  If you would like to assemble dessert and return it to the fridge, you may want to place the raspberry sauce beneath the whipped cream so it doesn’t bleed as much.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons powdered sugar.

Whip heavy cream with an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer until frothy.  Add the sugar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.  Whip the cream slightly longer if you like a stiffer hold to your whipped cream.  Place in the fridge to save for assembly.

Easy Raspberry Sauce

1/2 of a 12-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed

1 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoons water

Place the thawed raspberries in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment.  Add sugar and water and mix until the raspberries form a smooth puree.  Transfer raspberry puree to a fine mesh strainer fit over a bowl.  Press the puree through the strainer, until only the raspberry seeds and a bit of pump remain the the strainer, and a beautiful raspberry sauce is all that’s in the bowl.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

adapted from Martha Stewart, but mostly from me.

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For the Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the Chocolate Layer:

2 ounces of dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler

For the Peanut Butter Layer:

3/4 cup homemade peanut butter, or the jarred stuff, chunky or smooth as you see fit

For the Banana Layer:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter

3 ripe bananas, thinly sliced

For the Whipped Cream Layer:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the crust, stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.  Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.  I use my fingers.  Turn the ingredients into a 9-inch pie pan and pat with your fingers to create an even layer of crumbs of the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.

Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Once heated, place the pie crust on the center rack of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and set crust aside to cool.

For the chocolate layer, put two inches of water in a medium sauce pan, once simmering, place a larger bowl with the 2 ounces of chocolate in it over the simmering water.  Melt the chocolate in this double boiler situation.  Once cooled, pour into the baked graham cracker crust and spread around with a spatula.  Place in the refrigerator to cool and harden.

Prepare the peanut butter.  Once the chocolate is cooled, spread the peanut butter over the melted and hardened chocolate.

To prepare the banana filling, combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add egg yolks, and whisk until smooth. Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup milk to yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into pan with hot milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and is very thick, about 6 minutes.  Make sure to keep an eye on this and whisk constantly over a low flame.  The cornstarch will make the mixture thicken quickly.

Pour milk mixture through a large-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add butter, and stir until melted. Fold in bananas. Pour into crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Make the topping: Beat together cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over filling. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, shape topping into peaks.

Make chocolate shavings:  Carefully run a sharp knife along the back side of a dark chocolate bar towards yourself.  Quickly sprinkle the shavings on the top of the pie.  It’s that easy!

Lemon Souffle Pudding

from The Joy of Cooking and inspired by Lara Trale

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Do not underestimate this dessert. It’s light, tart, and all together dreamy. Instead of making several smaller souffles, I made one large dessert in a 9-inch glass baking dish. The bottom bakes up as a creamy lemon pudding and the top as a light and spongy souffle. The souffle bakes up almost cake light- super light ans soft. Two desserts in one! I added more lemon to the recipe. I couldn’t help myself.

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

3 tablespoons (40 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoon (4 grams) lemon zest

1/3 cup (50 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 cup (2400 ml) whole milk

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter six – 1 cup (240 ml) ramekins or other heatproof bowls. I used one buttered 9-inch glass pie dish.

Set aside 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of the sugar to use when whipping the egg whites. Place the remaining sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the lemon zest to the sugar. With the back of a spoon, or spatula, grind the lemon zest into the sugar, creating a fragrant, slightly yellow tinged sugar. Working the zest into the sugar will release lots of the essential oils in the zest, creating a super lemony batter. Then, in the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the lemony sugar and butter. Add the three egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the lemon juice and milk. Set aside while you beat the egg whites.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, in three additions, mixing only until incorporated.

Carefully pour (or use a ladle) the batter into the prepared ramekins. (The batter does not rise much during baking so you can fill the ramekins almost to the rim.) I poured the entire mixture into the 9-inch pie pan. Place the ramekins in a larger baking pan (or any size pan that will fit the ramekins and leave about 1 inch (2.54 cm) around the edges). Or place the 9-inch baking dish in a larger basting pan and set on your counter

Boil a tea pot of water to create a water bath. (A water bath is used to provide temperature protection for the eggs.) Place the basting pan with the souffle inside into the oven, carefully pulling the oven rack out a bit. Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up the sides of the ramekins or pie dish, and carefully slide the rack back into the oven.

Bake for about 40 – 45 minutes or until the sponge cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Be careful not to insert the toothpick into the lemon sauce at the bottom of the ramekins. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.

This dessert can be served warm or at room temperature. Dust the tops of the puddings with confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar and dress with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit (optional).

The Best Rice Pudding

The Gourmet Cookbook

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serves 4 to 6

2 cups water

1cup long grain rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split open

1 cup golden raisins

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rise out pan. Add 4 cups of milk, sugar and vanilla bean to the pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature.