Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Old Fashioned Comfort Dessert

I felt like making something comforting, old fashioned. Something that would use up the milk in the fridge and feel like dessert. Pudding. I searched online and saw recipes with loads of eggs and heavy cream, but what I wanted was an old fashioned not overly rich. simple weeknight dessert.
Amidst the pastry chef specials and decadent custards one lone recipe seemed to crop up over and over again. A simple stove top pudding recipe from Scharffenberger chocolate.
Another thing I like about pudding. For three dinner guests (including James -- I have to stay clear of dessert) I was able to make 3 portions in 3 little glasses. No leftovers to call our name in the middle of the night. Just a quick treat and done.
My 3 portion pudding started with 2 TB of cornstarch and 4 TB of sugar in the top of a double boiler with a pinch of salt. I whisked in 1 1/2 cups of milk and cooked the mixture over gently simmering water for about 15 minutes -- scraping the sides and stirring occasionally. I added 3 ounces chopped chocolate (I used Scharffenberger bittersweet -- one of my favorites) and cooked for another 2 minutes.
I stirred in a scant teaspoon of bourbon -- instead of vanilla extract, that's become my cooking secret weapon lately, and poured my silky pudding into serving glasses to chill in the fridge.
Normally I'd have stirred up a fluffy cinnamon or even bourbon whipped cream but with just three glasses I cheated and went with a dollop of creme fraiche. A modern topping for an old fashion taste.

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