Chocolate Pudding (TWD)

As a little kid, I remembered how excited I got when I discovered a snack-pak chocolate pudding in my lunch. That little can (I think I just dated myself) was worth it's weight in gold on the playground, and I could trade that for almost anything in the other kids' lunch bags...most of the time, I kept it for myself and savored every bite (okay, I didn't know any better back then)!

I chuckle about these memories, with chocolate pudding as this week's Tuesday's With Dorie recipe. Selected by Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen, this simple and delicious dessert is often overshadowed by other "fancy" desserts. Until just a couple of years ago, I never knew how easy and delicious homemade pudding can be, and far superior to the packaged instant stuff.

The ingredient list for this recipe is short and simple, and you definitely want to use the best cocoa you can find (I used Scharffen Berger), as that flavor will be center stage in this dessert. Unique to this recipe is the technique. A food processor is used twice, first to temper the eggs with the hot milk and then at the end to whip the pudding once it is cooked. Dorie Greenspan states that this technique will give the pudding a smooth velvety texture...let's see if it does make a difference...

Once refrigerated and set, I topped the pudding with vanilla whipped cream and broken bits of a Flake Chocolate Bar. If you haven't had a Flake before, you must run out and try one...the sweet milk chocolate literally melts in your mouth as you eat these!!! I am digressing... Let's go ahead and dig in...
OMG...this pudding was light yet creamy, and it delivered a deep rich chocolate flavor!!! It definitely delivered on both counts of taste and texture. A very dangerous dessert indeed!

My only minor gripe about this recipe is the use of the food processor, as it requires one more thing to clean up. Also the transferring the mixture back and forth from the saucepan and processor could pose a messy proposition. Still, the results are worth the effort.

This luscious pudding was served with a couple of shortbread cookies. Click here if you are interested in reading about these delish cookies.
This recipe, and more importantly the technique is a keeper!! Dorie Greenspan has written about her pudding on her blog, and the link to the recipe is here. To see how the rest of the Tuesday's With Dorie gang fared with this dessert, check out the blogroll.