pudding from home

chocolate pudding

thanks for the dessert suggestions! i appreciate them even though i caved and made the chocolate pudding. it's just so tried and true, which i think is the Right Thing to serve to people you don't know all that well. plus the hippie--he loves it. i must say though, it was nearly a disaster of great proportions this time. it takes a while to make this stuff and then almost an hour to bake it. i was already late starting and cutting it a bit close on being able to get it chilled before time to eat it. and then--like a MORON, i put it in the oven to bake and TURNED OFF THE OVEN!!! what's with THAT?! talk about a near disaster! i waited, doing 10k other things, and then the timer dinged--so i went to get the pudding, and it was ice cold. oh the rage--you have no idea... so i did what any cook would do: i said what the hell, and i cooked it anyway. and you know, it came out fine. great, even. and now, i have talked about this pudding enough that i thought i would share the recipe with you:

Chocolate Pudding
4 cups heavy cream
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 large egg yolks
1 /2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a large heavy saucepan, then remove the pan from the heat. Place the chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl, add 1 cup of the warm cream, and let stand until the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate mixture until it is smooth, then stir in the remaining cream.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and skim the froth from the top.

Pour the pudding into eight 6-ounce ovenproof ramekins or coffee cups. Place them in a deep baking pan and put the pan in the preheated oven. Add enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the cups, then cover the pan with aluminum foil, crimping it along the edge to form a tight seal. Bake the puddings for about 50 minutes. When gently shaken, they should look set around the edges but not quite set in a quarter sized area at the center.

Remove the cups from the water bath and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve chilled topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

you can also find this on the website of home, my favorite restaurant in new york, as well as in their cookbook, recipes from home, which you should just go ahead and buy right this minute.

ps--i will add a picture of this fabulous confection when i get home tonight. :)

UPDATE: added a bad picture from my phone, which is better than no picture at all!