Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

Recipe by Catherine Pla

Yield: 4-6 servings

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

This is the pudding I remember from childhood, with a skin on top. It is the best. If you don’t want the skin to form on top, press a piece of plastic onto the surface before refrigerating.

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/3 c sugar

• 1/4 c cornstarch

• 3 T cocoa powder (try to find a very good brand here, not Hershey’s)

• Pinch of salt

• 2 c whole milk, divided

• 2 oz very good semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

• 2 t vanilla extract

• 2 T unsalted butter

• 2 T heavy cream

• Whipped cream, for serving

Combine in a heatproof bowl 1/2 cup of the milk with egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt and whisk until combined, a few lumps are ok. Meanwhile, heat the rest of the milk over medium heat until scalded. When tiny bubbles appear at the edges of the milk, add a scant 1/2 cup hot milk to the cocoa mixture to temper and whisk. Then add cocoa mixture back into the pan containing the milk and whisk vigorously. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in chocolate, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream. Stir until chocolate melts. Pour into serving bowls, chill thoroughly.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.