Almond Milk Chocolate Pudding

It really is quite remarkable how a little infection can turn a once functional human being into a fussy, immobile, bundle of distraught.  Not to mention one that can no longer eat solid food on account of a bright red throat so swollen that speaking is no longer an option.  In case you were wondering, yes, I was suffering from the aforementioned symptoms.  My diet for the past four days has mainly consisted of easily swallowable foods, such as applesauce, smoothies, yogurt, butter infused scrambled eggs, soup, and a not so easily swallowed slice of stollen.

Having been restricted to liquids and very soft foods and being denied my favorite sweet holiday bread, I refused to live without delicious food items.  Even if I couldn’t completely taste everything.  Damn congestion.

The most delicious candidate for swollen throat friendly foods I could think of was chocolate pudding.  And seeing as chocolate pudding is obviously the most nutritious food one can eat while ill, I surrendered.  I’m convinced it was the pudding, and not actually the antibiotics that made me feel better.  Okay so maybe a combination of the two.  My point is the pudding was really good.  Exceptionally so.

When you’re sick, you deserve chocolate pudding.

Almond Milk Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1/3 cup 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup coco powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup of your favorite chopped chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1. Mix the cornstarch with the water until a thick paste forms.
2. Combine the sugar, coco powder and salt in a small saucepan.  Over medium heat, add the almond milk a little bit at a time.  Stirring constantly, cook until steam rises from the surface but do not let the mixture boil.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom.  Let rest for three minutes, then mix to incorporate the chocolate.
4. Return the pan to heat and mix in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens, a few minutes.  At the end, mix in the vanilla extract.
5. Pour the chocolate pudding into desired containers, covering with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate at least two hours before eating.
6. Feel better!

Daring Bakers – White Chocolate “Panna Cotta” and Florentine Cookies

What began as a challenge to make panna cotta turned into a lazy attempt to make pudding seem like panna cotta.  With no gelatin or any substance of the kind to be found in the house, I was forced to resort to good ol’ cornstarch.  Which meant I was making pudding.  Not panna cotta.  Woops.

Regardless, it made for a fruity, sweet, creamy, and relatively firm pudding, albeit with a few lumps dispersed here and there (I told you it was a lazy attempt).  Thankfully, I was feeding this lumpy pudding to my best friends.  Best friends will still love you even if you give them lumpy pudding.

The Florentine cookies were the perfect accompaniment to the pudding.  As I was melting the butter to make the cookies, I figured, why not brown it?  My philosophy is, if a recipe calls for melted butter, you might as well brown it for that extra layer of flavor.  The nuttiness of the browned butter matched the oats wondrously and what resulted was a sweet, crispy, slightly nutty, buttery cookies sandwiched with a layer of bittersweet chocolate (I love how something sweet, like bittersweet chocolate, can cut the sweetness of something even sweeter, like a Florentine cookie).

Panna cotta or pudding, lumps or not, browned butter or not, I can check another delicious daring bakers challenge off the list.  Thank you Mallory of A Sofa in the Kitchen!

White Chocolate “Panna Cotta” – but actually pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3.5 ounces good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed into 1/4 cup of the milk and set aside)

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Heat until the chocolate melts and reduce the heat to medium.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.
4. Pour pudding into four ramekins or other serving glasses of your choice.
5. Cover and chill overnight.

Florentine Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips or 11.5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Line two baking sheets.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, continue stirring over medium heat until the butter browns and the milk solids separate (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
4. Drop by level teaspoons, about 3 inches apart onto lined baking sheets.
5. Bake 5 to 7 minutes until medium brown.
6. Let cool completely on baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
7. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 30 seconds or so to stir so that the chocolate doesn’t burn.
8. Spread the chocolate on one cookie half and then sandwich together with another cookie.

Daring Bakers: British Steamed Pudding

As soon as I started thinking that the Daring Bakers challenges weren’t as challenging as I had feared I met suet.  Yes, suet.  An animal fat from the kidney area of sheep and cows that is rendered and then used in steamed british pudding.  Unfortunately I couldn’t bring myself to render an enormous hunk of animal fat, I rarely eat meat as it is.  At first I feared that I would have to sit out this challenge, but my hopes were raised when I learned steamed british pudding could also be made with butter.  So that’s what I did!

This challenge was quite a change for me.  I really wanted to make a pudding that I could serve with the aztec hot chocolate ice cream I had made recently, but I couldn’t find a recipe that would pair well with the flavors.  So… I made my own recipe!  I even surprised myself, especially since it was my first time making steamed pudding.  But I figured that you couldn’t really go wrong with butter, flour, and sugar.

After much contemplation and seeking the advice of my friends with whom I would be sharing the dessert I decided on a cinnamon banana steamed pudding.  It turned out to be perfect with the cinnamon and cayenne spiced chocolate ice cream.

Although I didn’t go to far out of my comfort zone I did venture a bit farther than I normally do by creating my own recipe.  Thanks Esther of The Lilac Kitchen!

Steamed Banana Cinnamon Pudding

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• water, for steaming

Topping Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 banana, sliced into 16 slices

Directions

1. Make topping by melting two tablespoons butter, 2.5 tablespoons brown sugar, pinch of salt and add brandy at the end.  Pour into 4 lightly oiled ramekins evenly, arrange banana slices in ramekins.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Cream the butter with sugar until fluffy.
4. Stir in egg, milk and extracts to make a smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter evenly into the ramekins.  Cover tightly with tinfoil.
6. Place the ramekins into a large pot and fill with water until it reaches half way up the side of the ramekins.
7. Place lid on the pot – you may need to check the water level occasionally if the lid does not fit tightly. Bring water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and cook for approx 30-45 min. Poke the top of the cake by pressing lightly on the foil to check for doneness; the cake will spring back when it is ready.
8. Carefully remove the ramekins from pan and turn the puddings out onto serving dishes.
9. Serve with ice cream!