Last weekend I made 115 pounds of my Grandma’s Chocolate Pudding to serve 800 tastes at a gala food event called The New Taste of the Upper West Side. Wow! That was a LOT of pudding. Stirring it felt like rowing a boat! Having never made pudding for more than 12 people before, this, needless to say, was a bit out of my comfort zone. (It would have made a good episode of Next Food Network Star)

But with the considerable help of the fabulous pastry chef, Micheal, at Dovetail (one of my favorite Upper West Side spots) I got it done. And it was well worth the effort to see everyone enjoy it so much. In fact, people kept asking me for the recipe. While you will be able to find it in my new book Comfort Food Fix, coming out in October, rather than make you wait I thought I’d share it here. It will be a perfect finish to your memorial day BBQ! Enjoy!


GRANDMA’S CHOCOLATE PUDDING
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups cold 1 % low-fat milk
1 ounce dark chocolate. (60-70% cocoa solids) finely chopped
Whipped cream, optional

In a medium saucepan whisk the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 6 minutes. Boil for 1 minute.

Place the chopped chocolate into medium bowl. Immediately pour the pudding into the bowl of chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 3/4-cup

Per Serving:
Calories 180; Total Fat 4.5 g; (Sat Fat 2.5 g, Mono Fat 1.37 g, Poly Fat .14 g) ; Protein 5 g; Carb 31 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 5 mg; Sodium 55 mg

Excellent source of: N/A
Good source of: Calcium, Copper, Iodine, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Protein, Riboflavin, Vitamin D