Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Pudding
Recipe from the Tartine cookbook
Yield: 4 to 6 individual servings (or fills one 9″ pie crust)

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup (14 oz) Whole milk (I used 2% with good results)
1/2 cup (5 oz) Heavy cream
1/4 cup (1 oz) Cornstarch
3/4 cup (5 oz) Sugar
3 TBS (45 ml) Cocoa Powder
3 Large eggs
1/4 tspn (1 ml) Salt
2.5 oz Bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

• Have ready a fine-mesh sieve placed over a large, heat-proof container.
• Combine the milk and cream in a heavy, medium saucepan and heat to just under a boil.(Be sure to just warm it and keep it under a boil, or it may curdle and “break” the pudding. If this happens don’t worry, it won’t taste bad, it just won’t be as smooth.)
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and sugar, and sift in the cocoa powder. Whisk until blended.
• In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt until blended.
• Add the egg mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until well combined.
• Slowly add half of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. (NOTE: Add the hot liquid slowly, or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.)
• Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk mixture and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has visibly thickened and registers 208F on a thermometer. This should take 5 to 7 minutes, depending on how cold your eggs are (Be sure to warm it slowly, don’t be tempted to turn the heat on high. On medium-low heat it only took 3-4 minutes for me).
• Immediately pour the contents of the pan through the sieve. Add the chocolate and let the heat of the milk-egg mixture melt it.
• Once the chocolate has melted, blend with an immersion blender for a full 5 minutes until no lumps are visible. (I whisked by hand without any problems).
• Portion the pudding into cups. Let cool and serve at room temperature. Top with whipped cream if desired.