Midnight Black Chocolate Pudding

By AzWench

I love this pudding recipe because it’s thickened by both egg yolks and cornstarch. The yolks provide a nice richness while the cornstarch is a no fail thickener.

Ingredients

• 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

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from joythebaker.com

Preparation

Step 1

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.