Chocolate Pudding

The other day I really wanted chocolate pudding. I wanted something a step or two beyond the box, but did not need the heavy-cream-and-5-egg-yolk stuff I found in some recipes. I just wanted chocolate pudding.

MyRecipes.com rarely fails me. I found a skim-milk-2-egg-yolk version that looked perfect. Hardly "light" but at least digestible. Plus it called for 5 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate so I took the opportunity to hit the fancy chocolate aisle and brought home some Ghiradelli and Perugina. The pudding was easy to make and the flavor could not be beat. In fact, it was still so rich we could only enjoy small servings, but then it actually lasted a few days! Sometimes there is just nothing like the creamy comfort of chocolate pudding.

2 1/2 cups fat-free milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Place 2 cups milk in a medium heavy sauce pan; bring to a boil.

2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

3. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well.

4. Gradually add half of hot milk to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until melted. Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill. Makes 6 (1/2 cup) servings
Recipe from Cooking Light, August 2006