Well hey there, Puddin’!

Pudding. Puddin’. Awwww puddin’! Seriously though, who doesn’t love pudding? Apparently some people, actually. There are actual people who don’t love pudding. But I challenge all you non-pudding lovers: you haven’t met this pudding.

I was trying to make pudding for at least a month, maybe even longer, but every time I got excited about it and on the walk home announced “Today I’m making pudding!” I was greeted with a resounding “meh” out of Brett….Meh?? Seriously, meh??? How can you be ‘meh’ about pudding?! So finally, this weekend, I had just about had it. Plus I wanted something sweet and we had no eggs in the house. So hah. Pudding time. And you know what? He effing loved it. Apparently the only pudding he ever had was jello instant pudding. So I guess I can’t really blame him for not being as excited as I was about pudding. But now he’s excited. Which means I can make pudding a lot more often. Score.

Chocolate Pudding (adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen)

Hey, wait a second, didn’t I say I was turning over a new leaf? Steering clear of desserts in favor of health(ish) food? Well hah! Pudding is healthy! Well.. at least it’s probably the healthiest dessert I’ve ever heard of. There is neither a lump of butter nor a splash of cream nor an egg yolk to be found, and really just a smidge of sugar. So your arteries can rest at ease. But more importantly, it’s delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 cups low-fat milk (if you usually buy whole, or fat free, honestly just use whatever you have. I like 2% because, duh 2% is the best. But if you are a weirdo who likes non-2% milk.. use that.)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6oz super dark chocolate, chopped. I used 72%, use the darkest that you think is delicious. (Thank the deities of TJ’s and my mother for sending me not one but two Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars. seriously. I love you mom. and I see a lot more chocolate desserts in my immediate future..)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Procedure

1. In a double boiler, (or, like the rest of us with tiny kitchens, a heatproof bowl set over an inch of water) stir together the cornstarch, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk. Turn the stove on until the water underneath your bowl is simmering.
2. Cook, stirring and whisking frequently to prevent lumps, until thickened, about 15 minutes (unless you’re me and forget to turn your water on high enough. then it will take a bit longer..).
3. Stir in your chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. cook for another 5 minutes until it is super thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Pour into a serving bowl or individual ramekins or bowls. (You could run it through a sieve first to eliminate lumps, but honestly that’s a whole ‘nother dish to wash, so no thanks.) Put some plastic wrap over the top, pressing it down to touch the surface of the pudding and then refrigerate for a few hours until cool. (It will cool a lot faster if you pour it out into individual ramekins)
5. shove it in your face because it’s so delicious. smile. you made pudding.