Chocolate Pudding! + a lecture on good ingredients

I've made it not once but twice in the last week or so, it's just that good. You have to make it.

But first, let me tell you why it's so freaking good: quality ingredients. That's it! That's the secret!  You think this will taste as good using low fat milk and low quality butter and cheap chocolate? Yeah. Right. If you haven't already committed to spending all your money (hah!) on high quality ingredients, do so now! If you can, choose organic (start here: dirty dozen) ! It will change your life in more ways than one.

Here are the ingredients in this recipe that I use that I believe make all the difference:

~ Raw whole milk (from my local health food store, but whatever whole organic milk you can find will be fabulous - and yes, I know there's a slight risk to using raw milk, but I'm a believer)

~ Pasture butter (from grass fed cows, which not only tastes better, is better for you, but is also even 

magically better for the cow! So many wins!)

~ Pasture eggs (you guessed it: chickens that get to roam around on grass, too! Sounds normal right? Not so. Sadly most chickens can't even walk because their breasts are too heavy and because there just isn't space (I could go on). If I had a place to own chickens I would. Because I don't, I buy them from local farms, or grab the best on the shelf at the store (like these which cost a fortune, but I believe are totally worth it, though I generally don't use them for baking). The yolks are closer to dark orange than pale yellow, and are packed full of nutrients. Remember how grass-fed cows are healthier and happier? Sames goes for chickens.) 

~High quality dark chocolate (this calls for cocoa powder, but chopping up some chocolate would work fabulously, I just didn't have any.)

Before I actually give you the recipe, I want to say one more thing: be dedicated to whatever you are making. Even a simple recipe for chocolate pudding requires patience and dedication. It means you should read the recipe, instructions and all, before you make it. Care about the food. Care about the details. It makes a difference for you, the food, and the people who eat it. 

There. Tangent over! 

Behold, the recipe.

2 1/2 cups milk 

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup real maple syrup (did you know that 39 gallons of sap make just 1 gallon of maple syrup?)

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I always use more, and when I doubled it I used 3/4 cups, and it was divine)

4 TBLS cornstarch or arrowroot powder (heaven knows we have too much corn in our diets)

1/4 tsp salt

3 TBLS butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions, version A (for those of you who know your way around a kitchen)

- Combine the dry ingredients in a pot, whisk. 

- Add the milk and maple syrup, stir to combine.

- Heat on medium heat until it thickens, stirring constantly. 

- Temper the egg yolks, then add slowly. Cook for a couple more minutes, to cook the cornstarch.

- Remove from heat and stir in a tablespoon of butter at a time. Add vanilla.

- Serve warm, or cool with a sheet of plastic pressed into the top to avoid a film.

Directions, version B (for people like me who wants to know all the details)

- Combine the cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch in a pot, and whisk to combine (whisking works as well as sifting). 

- Add one cup of milk, then whisk it like mad. It will come together to be very thick, which will allow you to whisk out all of the clumps quickly. When it looks satisfactory, add the rest of the milk slowly while whisking. 

- Add maple syrup.

- Turn stove on to medium and stir constantly. The mixture will thicken as it heats.

- In a separate bowl, use a fork to whisk the egg yolks. Really break them apart. Now, we temper them. This means that as the milk heats up, you add a tablespoon at a time of the warming/hot milk mixture to the eggs while whisking vigorously to ensure that the milk (if hot enough) doesn't curdle them (cook them). I like to start doing it before the milk is too hot, but you can do it then, too. You might end up with a cup or more of egg mixture by the time you're done; it doesn't matter. 

- When the eggs are very warm, pour them very slowly into the milk mixture (think stream of olive oil), which should be fairly thick and on the verge of boiling if it's not already, whisking all the while. Your pudding will thicken even more and start looking more like a custard very quickly. 

- Cook for a 2-3 more minutes to cook the starch (the eggs cook much faster, but if you don't cook the starch all the way you'll taste it). 

- Remove from heat.

- Stir in one tablespoon of butter at a time.

- Add vanilla.

- Serve hot, or pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool with a piece of plastic wrap pressed into the top to avoid the development of a film (but then again, hot plastic isn't good for anyone)

Voila! Eat it! Enjoy it! Share it! 

"If you give, get. If you learn, teach." ~Maya Angelou