Diva Chocolate Pudding

We were invited to a dinner party at our good friend Staci's house.  The menu was "Kid Food" in honor of the Little Witch, who was joining us.  We had chicken fingers and mac and cheese that night, man it was good too!  I was in charge of dessert.  As soon as I heard our theme of the night was "Kid Food" I knew I had to make pudding.  Ok I didn't know, I was rather clueless.  It wasn't until Staci said what about chocolate pudding that I went DING and sprung into action!  You know that skin that forms on pudding if it's not covered with plastic wrap?  Well that was always my favorite part of the pudding.  It was so dark and chocolaty and really had that great chocolate pudding flavor.  Well, after you peel back the skin you're left with pale lackluster pudding.  The chocolate isn't as intense as the 'skin'.  Actually the whole thing is rather milky, thin and lackluster.  Boo!  This is not the greatness that the skin promised!  I want pudding that tastes like the skin does, rich, thick, chocolate to the max.  So I created it!

This is not a chocolate pudding that someone who's ambivalent about chocolate should embark upon.    No, this pudding is one that only the true chocoholic in your life should try.  Dark, rich, indulgent, velvety and decadent are just a few of the words that Staci offered to me to describe this pudding.  Seeing as how I serve it in fancy antique tea cups, she also deemed them "Diva like", a term I love and named this pudding after!  Only a chocolate diva could appreciate the rich chocolate punch that this pudding pulls.

The chocolate factor is amped up from my traditional chocolate pudding by the addition of 2 cocoa powders, chocolate chips and coffee.  I use Ghiradelli cocoa powder for it's overall intense chocolate flavor and Hershey's Special Dark OR Black Onyx cocoa powder for the deep color and matching flavor.  The chocolate chips that reign supreme in the Witch household are Ghiradelli double chocolate chips, and unlike some other chips, they melt fantastically.  Coffee is a supporting player here.  The coffee flavor doesn't really come through, but rather it makes the chocolate taste more chocolaty, so it's a natural addition here as well.  The result is a chocolate pudding that is thick, velvety, rich and most importantly, CHOCOLATY!  Finally, a pudding who's interior is as dark and flavorful as the skin on top.  Success!


Diva Chocolate Pudding
makes 12 servings - 1/2 c each
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder total (1/4 c ea Hershey's special dark and Ghiradelli cocoa)
1 t kosher salt
1/4 c corn starch
1 c chocolate chips (Ghiradelli double chocolate)
1/2 c hot strong brewed coffee
4 c milk (2%)
3 eggs

In a large pan mix the sugar, cocoa powders, salt and corn starch together.  Whisk well to incorporate, allowing the shards of sugar to help break up the cocoa powders and corn starch.  Slowly add in the milk, whisking well.  The mixture will be very foamy at first, this will clear out as it heats.

Put the chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl.  Pour very hot coffee over top of chips.  The chips will melt from the heat of the coffee, allow to rest for about 5 minutes.  Using a whisk, stir the coffee/chocolate mixture until all chocolate is melted making a form of ganache.

Beat the eggs in a seperate bowl.  Once beaten slowly add eggs to the melted chocolate coffee ganache whisking well.  The mixture will thicken.

Heat milk & cocoa mixture over medium high heat stirring constantly until boiling.  Allow to boil for 1 minute.  After 1 minute slowly whisk in the egg/chocolate mixture.  Cook for 2 minutes longer over medium heat, whisking often to avoid scorch spots.

Ladle hot pudding into cups and allow to cool before serving.  Top with fresh whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.  If you don't want a 'skin' to form on the pudding simply place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the hot pudding.  Remove plastic before serving.

Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople recipe calculator Amount Per Serving Calories 203.5 Total Fat 9.3 g Saturated Fat 5.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g Cholesterol 52.8 mg Sodium 85.9 mg Potassium 156.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.7 g Dietary Fiber 2.0 g Sugars 22.3 g Protein 5.9 g