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Friday, January 18, 2008

Parfaits


I'm told, that my chocolate pudding is exceptional. As it isn't one of my favourite desserts, my enthusiasm for making it just isn't there. On the occasions when I do make it though, people do carry on a bit over the flavour, texture, etc. I suppose if you've only ever had pudding from a box, then it would seem pretty terrific.


I made mine with skim milk because that's what I keep on hand these days (powdered, no less). My son drinks three 8 oz. glasses a day and isn't very particular about the fat content of his milk. I figured with all the butter and heavy cream that passes through this house, skim milk would be a good balance if he'd drink it-and he does. Because there is a bit of butter in the pudding as well, I'd avoid making it with whole milk-it just seems like overkill for pudding.


The whipped cream was straightforward enough though I added1/4 cup of sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to give it some depth. That would be optional, or irrelevant if using pre-made whipped cream.


As you can see, I don't own parfait glasses, but these seemed to do the trick. I suppose there's a learning curve for neatly layering parfaits, but hopefully I won't be making these often enough to master it. I did get an impressed look from my three year old when he saw I was making something he had requested from a cookbook illustration. I guess it doesn't take much to impress a toddler.


So here's the pudding recipe. You can make it as vanilla by omitting the chocolate and only using 1/4 cup sugar.


You Will Need:


1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, shaved

2 egg yolks

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla


In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, chocolate and egg. Slowly add the milk and cook over low heat, whisking constantly. When mixture comes to a boil, cook one additional minute. Remove from heat. Beat in butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on pudding surface to prevent a skin forming. With a sharp knife, poke a couple of holes in the film to let heat escape. Cool in fridge.


Layer as desired with whipped cream, or pour into small dishes and serve cold.

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