Dorie's Chocolate Pudding: Not Like Jello

So, first let me say that it is really, really hard to photograph chocolate pudding. It just looks kind of...yuck. Even in the cute bowls that my friend Brooke gave me and are really ice cream bowls. If anyone out there has any suggestions for photographing pudding (or food in general), let me know. I am happy for the tips.

However, even if it looks yucky, it tastes YUMMY! Rich but light at the same time. I do think it would have benefited from a dollop of whipped cream, which I will try to remedy the next time I eat it. This was some seriously good pudding. Now, I like Jello pudding as much as the next person, but if you are looking for a real treat, this pudding is it. My pudding was a little more like mousse in texture than pudding, but it was still delicious.

I made some modifications to Dorie's recipe. First, instead of 2 1/4 cups of whole milk, I used one cup of skim and 1 1/4 cups of whole. I don't think it affected the texture or the taste at all. Second, I don't have a food processor for dairy (it is parve, so that I can use it to make things like sauces and such), so I used a blender instead. I wonder if use of the blender contributed to the mousse-like texture, since it may have gotten more air than with a food processor. Third, I didn't put it back in the blender at the end of the recipe -- I just whisked in the butter, melted chocolate and vanilla. I know this is ok, because Dorie herself said so. Oh, and I don't like skin on my pudding, so I made a tight seal with the saran wrap before putting it in the fridge. Finally, I didn't put it in ramekins, but it one big container.

Here is the recipe (from doriegreenspan.com and Baking from My Home to Yours):

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Makes 6 servings

2 1/4 cups whole milk

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 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

Getting Ready: Have six ramekins or pudding cups, each holding 4 to 6 ounces (1/2 to 3/4 cup), at hand.

Bring 2 cups of the milk and 3 tablespoons of the sugar to a boil in a medium 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 1/4 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 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.