The Dessert Collector

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Chocolate Pudding

How delicious is chocolate pudding? It's so comforting and evocative of the past. This recipe really appealed to me because it calls for egg yolks -- they give pudding a wonderfully rich texture. It's from an all-dessert collection I bought on eBay, which came in a beautiful wooden box with the name A.E. Pettersen etched inside. The recipes date all the way back to 1932.

Work: 30 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 cups milk
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. In a medium saucepan combine cornstarch, sugar, salt, chocolate, and milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until well combined and mixture has thickened, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and whisk constantly until very thick and smooth, about 18 minutes.

2. Stir a little of the pudding into yolks in a bowl, then add yolk mixture back to pan. Add butter and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes more. Serves 4 to 6.

8 of 11