I am a sucker for nostalgia. I had a pretty cool childhood, especially in retrospect, and I enjoy partaking in foods that bring me back to that time. Cooking the chicken and dumplings that my mom use to make us, or spending hours making gnocchi, just like my Nona used to do, puts me back to a time where the days were lazy, I would ride my horse for hours in the mountains, and modern technology was all of 3 channels, if we moved the bunny ears just right.
Chocolate pudding is one of those memory-inducing foods, not so much for its ingenuity, but because it was and is a dish that is incredibly easy, requires few ingredients (box of pudding mix, milk) and satisfies those intense chocolate cravings I must satiate from time to time. We always had a box of Jell-O pudding mix around the house, and on those occasions when there was no milk, we would use water. It works fine. When I starting working in the food industry, there were times when I would make pudding out of the box and silently berate myself for taking the easy route. I mean, didn’t I spend a small fortune on culinary school? Shouldn’t I be able to make pudding from scratch?
I finally did come around, but admittedly, it was a client that made me a convert. I had a request for something rich and chocolaty, and they are mostly gluten free, so that eliminates many options that would require flour. I realized that my opportunity was there, and I must, against my own resistance, make pudding that didn’t come out of a box. They are not paying me to make things out of a box. So I took the plunge, borrowing a basic outline from my good friend, the Barefoot Contessa. I expanded on a basic chocolate pudding recipe and made it a bit more unique with the addition of orange, but the pudding is wonderful on its own as well, without flavorings.
There really is no comparison to the real deal, it is so wonderfully smooth and rich and decadent, without being heavy or dense. And even though it certainly isn’t as easy as adding milk to a powder and stirring, the whole process takes about 20 minutes and there are few ingredients. But, while this recipe is altogether very simple, it does take a bit of patience, since it is important to constantly stir the mixture over low heat, until it begins to thicken. I put on the Glee soundtrack and dance around at the stovetop, it’s ridiculously amusing to see, I imagine. I can just picture my neighbors glancing through the dining room window and seeing me in my sweatpants, rocking out to Don’t Stop Believing, and stirring a pot on the stove.
Chocolate Orange Pudding
2 cups 2% milk
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli)
¼ cup corn starch
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup chopped, high cacao, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs grand Marnier, triple sec (optional)
2 tbs heavy cream
½ tsp grated orange zest
Bring the milk to a low simmer in a medium saucepan. Take care to heat the milk slowly to avoid scorching.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light in color and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the cocoa powder, corn starch and salt and mix to combine. Carefully pour the hot milk into the mixer, combine thoroughly and the pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
Over low heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly until thickened to pudding texture. It takes 10-12 minutes (or about 4 songs on the aforementioned soundtrack) for the mixture to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients, stirring until the chocolate has melted.
Pour into individual serving containers and cover with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding (this prevents it from forming a “skin”). Chill at least 2 hours. Serves 4.
