Bittersweet Chocolate Petit Pots French Inspired Chocolate Pudding Recipes

PETIT POT AU CHOCOLAT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil.
• Warm the cream with the vanilla bean and seeds to just before boiling, whisking to disperse the seeds. Remove from heat, cover and let infuse for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the chocolate in the milk. Beat together the egg yolks and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla cream and blend thoroughly. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and pour into 4 4-ounce ramekins or 6 3-ounce porcelain espresso cups.
• Place the ramekins in an 8-inch baking pan. Fill the pan with enough hot water to rise halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the oven until slightly puffed and spongy, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

HOT CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups of the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
• Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, hot chocolate mix, cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.
• Slowly add half of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Gradually whisk the egg-milk mixture into the remaining hot milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Let the pudding cool slightly, stirring a few times to prevent a skin from forming. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until it has completely cooled and thickened, about 4 hours.
• Before serving, whisk the pudding vigorously until it's smooth and creamy. Spoon it into serving bowls and top with dollops of whipped cream and a sprinkling of hot chocolate mix.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan whisk together sugar cornstarch, and a pinch salt. Chop chocolate and add to sugar mixture. In a bowl whisk together milk and egg yolks and gradually whisk into chocolate mixture. Bring mixture just to boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly, and boil 1 minute, whisking. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla, 1-ounce cacao nibs, and1 tablespoon Kahlua. Divide pudding between 4 (8-ounce) ramekins. Chill puddings in freezer, surfaces covered with plastic wrap, until cooled, about 30 minutes. Garnish with whipped cream and crystallized ginger.