Rich Chocolate Pudding

 

I came about this recipe idea when I was trying to figure out what to do with some left over egg yolks, for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to throw the away egg yolks... I looked at many options on how to use them, various fruit curds, creme brulee and even  a special deep conditioning treatment for my hair though as you can tell from this post I will leave that one up to the professionals. The others looked good but didn't quite account for the 4 egg yolks that I had then I realized - Pudding! 

Step aside Mr. Crosby - this is the real thing!

This pudding used egg yolks to thicken the pudding rather then starch which can really dilute the flavor and make it well... starchy for lack of a better word. To be honest 'bunged up' was the term that came to mind but that isn't a very appetizing word now is it? 

Anyways on to the recipe so you can all try this delectable wonder:

2 Cups of Semi Sweet Choc Chips

2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 2/3 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Strong Espresso

4 egg yolks

2 pinches of salt

To prepare pour the Cream, Milk and Espresso into a pot and heat until almost boiling but don't let it burn!! When the milk is very hot add the chocolate and whisk until melted, the whisk will help to to homogenize more quickly. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and salt, add a laddle of the hot chocolate mix slowly to temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Continue to add the rest of the chocolate mixture slowly until it is all combined, you should notice it thicken a little bit right away. Add the mixture back into the pot and bring the mixture up to a boil, whisk it while boiling for 2 minutes or until it feels thicker, it should be a thicker but not 'pudding like' yet. Pour the pudding into individual ramekins, a bowl or like I used short and stout canning jars, it should yield enough for 5 jars. Pop those suckers in the fridge and allow them to cool, should you do this over night you will get a nice thick rich pudding, should you sneak one out after only a few hours it will be thick around the egde and gooey in the middle. 

Now because I love the 'skin' especially on this recipe it really is just extra thick pudding on top, I leave them open to the world, should you wish to prevent this you can put some saran wrap right onto the pudding, essentially the saran wrap make the skin and you pull off just a little off the top so that it looks like a creamier color with no skin. Its up to you!