Chocolate Pudding You Can Serve Naked (or Top with Cream)

Every week, baking expert Alice Medrich will be going rogue on Food52 -- with shortcuts, hacks, and game-changing recipes.

Today: This Valentine's Day, serve this pudding by itself, or top it with cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche. Your puddin' will thank you. 

With or without the skin on top, a great chocolate pudding is a recipe every cook needs up her sleeve. This one will get you raves. Eat it secretly under the covers or serve it to company. The secrets: milk and cream, cocoa powder and chocolate. And, finally -- not too much cornstarch. I do it with natural cocoa powder and a fruity 70% chocolate (French style rather than Belgian), but do have your own way with it by using your favorite of each.

Serve the pudding naked, or pass a pitcher of heavy cream for each guest to pour on top. Or, top each serving with lightly whipped cream, crème fraîche, or a combination of the two.  

Alice's Chocolate Pudding

From Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts (Artisan 2012) By Alice Medrich

Serves 6 to 8 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup (66 grams) sugar
1/3 cup (28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural
2 tablespoons (17 grams) cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 to 4 ounces (85 grams to 115 grams) dark chocolate (use the lesser amount for chocolate in the 66% to 70% cacao range and the larger amount for chocolate closer to 60%), very finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 cup heavy cream for pouring, or lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche (or a combination), optional for serving or topping

Equipment:

Six 4-ounce custard cups or ramekins or 8 smaller cups

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Pick up a copy of Alice's new book Flavor Flours, which includes nearly 125 recipes -- from Double Oatmeal Cookies to Buckwheat Gingerbread -- made with wheat flour alternatives like rice flour, oat flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, and teff (not only because they're gluten-free, but for an extra dimension of flavor, too).

Photo by Alpha Smoot