Chocolate Pudding

The other night I was sitting and watching TV and I came across a old Bill Cosby standup routine.  After that, he was stuck in my head.  The only thing that I could think of was him saying pudding.  So I had to make some.  Damn you Bill Cosby.  So I went through the cupboard and found I had all of the ingredients except for Half-and-Half.  Curse you Bill Cosby.   Luckily the local 7/11 carried it.  Sorry Bill Cosby, love the sweaters.

The pudding was tasty as I added some semisweet chocolate to the mix.  It was on the verge of being too rich.  I would recommend smaller containers than 3/4 cup containers.

Chocolate Pudding – (From Joy of Cooking)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tbs cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 cups half-and-half – Place 1 3/4 cups into a measuring cup and place 1/4 cup into a small bowl.
  
• 2 1/2 tbs corn starch
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• whipped cream for topping

Before starting make sure to have a medium bowl or 4 – 3/4 cup bowls or 6 – 1/2 cup bowls ready to pour the pudding into.

In a heavy saucepan mix together the sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Then gradually stir in the warm water until it becomes a smooth paste.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  When it starts to boil remove it from the heat and add in the chopped chocolate.  This is optional, but it gives the pudding a rich chocolaty flavor.

Gently stir in 1 3/4 cups of the half-and-half.

Add the cornstarch to the remaining 1/4 cup of half-and-half.  Mix thoroughly to make a smooth paste. Add the cornstarch to the chocolate mixture.  Whisk the chocolate mixture to make sure that the cornstarch is evenly distributed.

Place the pan back over medium heat.  Stirring constantly heat the mixture until it starts to thicken.  You will definitely see the mixture starting to thicken.  When the mixture just starts to thicken, lower the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.  Make sure to stir briskly once the mixture starts to thicken.  You will visibly see the difference as shown by the photos below.

After the one minute is up, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Pour the pudding into the bowl or cups that you set aside earlier.  Cover with plastic wrap to protect the pudding from forming a skin.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating.  The pudding will be good in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When ready to serve top with whipped cream and enjoy.

You can thank Bill Cosby for this post.  If it was not for him, I would have never made pudding.  By the way, in honor of Bill I wrote this post up in my wackiest sweater.