Chocolate Pudding

This is a good news and bad news post. The bad news first: I currently do not have an oven. I have not had one for several days and I won’t have one for another week. Allow that to sink in for a few moments. I’ll wait….I’m not sure you’re fully understanding this. I do not have an oven!!!! My oven is broken! It has passed on! It is a late oven! Do you have any idea how traumatic this situation is for me?!? How can I make my weekly loaf of sandwich bread? Or this granola? I can’t even keep these waffles warm and crisp!

Well, beyond all this panic, as I said, there is good news. The stovetop still works. That means I can at least cook every day. And that means I can make pudding for dessert. Pudding is usually comforting enough, but it does an even greater good when I can quickly make it with ingredients I usually have on hand and equipment that has yet to go to hell on me.

I don’t know if I’ve ever made chocolate pudding from scratch before. This is really a day for tragedies, I guess, because that’s quite painful to admit. And after I tasted this one, which is really basic and quite simple to throw together (who knew?,,,okay, I should have), my shame was complete. I have been an idiot to neglect such delicious loveliness just because I had the ability to bake things. It’s rich and creamy and nicely chocolate-y. It’s really, really hard to put down the bowl once you start digging in, which is part of the reason I cooled it in a big bowl, but served it in little ones.

This pudding gets its chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder, which I enhanced a bit with instant espresso. That little bit of intense coffee just gives the chocolate a boost, but I think if you want to go full mocha in your pudding, you could add even more. And speaking of adding flavor, do yourself a little educational favor and taste the pudding before and after adding the butter and vanilla. It just might give you an appreciation for those humble ingredients.

And I hope you’ve been a better human being than I and have always had an appreciation for good ol’ homemade chocolate pudding. Chocolate Pudding: it’s good news.

Chocolate Pudding

Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine

I used nonfat milk to make this pudding, but low fat or whole milk would be great, too.

You wouldn’t absolutely need the instant espresso in this recipe, but if you have some on hand, use some here.

2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 ½ cups milk
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium size saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa. Whisk together to combine. Slowly whisk in the milk making the mixture as smooth and lump-free as you can. Whisk in the egg yolks.

2. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring or whisking very frequently. I used alternately used a whisk (to keep things very smooth) and a rubber spatula (to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan) to stir. Continue heating and stirring until the mixture just begins to bubble and splatter. This takes about 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the espresso powder. Whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, stirring until the butter has completely melted.

4. Pour into a medium-size bowl. (If you are picky, you can strain the mixture with a fine mesh sieve at this point. I didn’t bother.) Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Makes 4 or 5 servings. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Another recipe like this one: Butterscotch Pudding

Archive Recipe of the Week: Beef and Guinness Stew or Pot Pie

St. Patrick’s Day is just a week away and I have nothing to report that is either green or Guinness-y. That just leaves me the perfect opportunity to give some love to this Beef and Guinness Stew that I tend to serve every year.

In the past, I’ve presented this as a pot pie because I served it in individual stew bowls with a puff pastry lid. You wouldn’t have to do that. Well, you wouldn’t have to, but I highly recommend it. In fact, you could do that with just about any thick stew. Just give it a pastry covering of some kind and you have pot pie.

This is just such a good stew/pot pie, however, that I don’t want you to miss out on it’s fabulous beefy and peppery flavors just because you don’t have pastry skills or some kind of frozen or refrigerated pastry on hand. It’s usually pretty easy for me to pass up a beef dish, but when that beef is flavorfully slow-cooked, I’m in trouble. It’s also easy for me to pass up a bottle of beer, but when you give the dark, rich flavor of Guinness to a slow cooked beef stew, we’re talking about something different entirely. Something so good it’s worthy of a celebration.

Don’t let the brined green peppercorns in the ingredient list scare you. They’re just black peppercorns in a younger stage bottled in brine. They’re delicious and if you haven’t tried them, I’d recommend getting your hands on a bottle to use in this stew. In fact, I can’t think of any other recipe I use them in and I still find them to be worth the purchase. You can find them near the capers (and pickles, etc.) in supermarkets.

And – trust me – it’s worth saving out one bottle of Guinness just to make this stew. Celebrate responsibly!

Beef and Guinness Stew or Pot Pie
Modified from Gourmet magazine

Making this stew into a pot pie is optional, but really good.

2 lb boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet) (or more if needed), thawed

1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels if it is damp on the surface. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cubed beef and toss to coat with the flour mixture.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the beef in one layer and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef from the pot and place in a clean bowl or on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more of the oil as needed.

3. When all the beef has been browned, add the onion to the pan. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Add garlic and ½ cup beef broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the beef and any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, brined green peppercorns and thyme.

5. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Simmer about 1 hour more or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if desired. Remove the stems from the thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme. The stew can be made ahead of time or served without a pastry covering at this point.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spoon stew into 4 oven-proof single-serving crocks or soup bowls. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. (You can cut it smaller or larger, or use more than one sheet, depending on the size of the bowls you are using.) Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on top of each filled bowl. Gently press to adhere to the sides of the bowl. Cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape as it bakes.

7. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet for easy transfer to the oven. Bake at 450 F 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is well browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes. The stew under the pastry will be very hot.

Makes about 4 servings

Other recipes like this one: Beef Stew with Red Wine and Mushrooms, Beef stew with Tomatillos and Poblano Chiles, Beer Cheese Soup with Bratwurst

One year ago: Orange Butter Cookies

Mocha Granola

This may be my new favorite granola. I’d have to test it side by side with this peanut butter granola to be sure. I really like that peanut butter granola, but boy oh boy is this Mocha Granola good.

This recipe is really just a simple twist on this chocolate granola, but I think it turned out better in texture and flavor than the chocolate granola did. I know that good bakers often use coffee or espresso to enhance chocolate-y goodness in treats like brownies and cakes, so it may not be that much of a surprise if the espresso powder makes chocolate granola better. Of course, I didn’t just add a smidgeon of coffee flavor to boost the chocolate. I gave the chocolate enough of a wallop to change its name to mocha.

Mocha Granola is just as easy to make as any other granola, except you have to treat the chocolate a little more delicately.  I baked this granola (as well as the other chocolate granola I’ve made) at a lower temperature and for a shorter time to prevent the chocolate from burning. I also gave the whole pan of oats, nuts and coating a good stir earlier in the baking process than usual. The coating is thick and stiff when it first goes on the oats and nuts (I used almonds, but hazelnuts would be pretty nifty as well), so I just let it melt a little in the oven, then stirred things up to distribute the coating better.

There is definitely a real coffee presence in the flavor of this granola, making it perfect for breakfast as far as I’m concerned. You might even be able to get your morning cereal and coffee all in one bowl, if you’re so inclined. As much as I like this Mocha Granola, however, I don’t think you’ll see me taking any chances by skipping my cup of coffee.

Mocha Granola

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped almonds (or hazelnuts)

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large bowl, combine the oats and almonds. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey and canola oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.

3. Add the chocolate and stir until it has completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the espresso powder, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.

4. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the oat mixture in the bowl. Stir to coat the oats and almonds as well as possible. The mixture will be thick.

5. Spread the mixture out onto a baking pan lined with a silicone mat (or line the pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray). Bake at 300 F for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate mixture has melted. Stir to re-distribute the coating as well as possible.

6. Bake about 20 minutes more, stirring every 8 minutes or so. Be careful not to burn the coating mixture. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. (Remove earlier if the coating appears to be near burning.)

7. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. Can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or zip-top freezer bag for a few months.

Makes about 6 cups.

Other recipes like this one: Granola; Chocolate, Almond and Cherry Granola; Peanut Butter Granola

One year ago: Basic Tomato Pasta Sauce

Kumquat Riesling Sauce

I don’t have much to say about this recipe. Not because it’s not an interesting recipe. It is. It’s delicious and not hard to make. I don’t have much to say because I’m tired. I like to pretend I’m not tired because you can’t see me dozing off from where you are, but sometimes I just have to give in.

So here is this recipe, which I adapted from Fine Cooking magazine. I scaled it down a bit because the original called for 12 ounces of kumquats and the package I bought contained 8 ounces. I also used vanilla extract and ground cinnamon where the original called for vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. The substitution seem okay to me, but I suppose a vanilla bean would make it even more delicious.

The ingredient list may make you think this sauce would be excessively sweet, but don’t be too afraid. The tartness and touch of bitterness in the kumquats balances the sugar nicely. In fact, I’d argue that you might just need that much sweetness to make the kumquats into dessert.

And this sauce is great with dessert. I loved it on this simple yogurt cake and it was fabulous on vanilla ice cream as well. It lasts a couple weeks in the refrigerator, so I say, as soon as you can get your hands on the ingredients and as soon as you have the time and energy to slice up a couple handfuls of kumquats, make this sauce. It’ll be waiting to reward you by jazzing up simple desserts on those days when you just get too tired. Good night and good luck!

Kumquat Riesling Sauce

Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine (Feb/Mar 2011)

Serve this sauce on simple vanilla or citrus cakes or on vanilla ice cream.

1 ½ cups Riesling

½ cup honey

1/3 cup sugar

2 ¼ inch slices peeled fresh ginger

¼ cup water

8 ounces kumquats, thinly sliced and seeded

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the Riesling, honey, sugar, ginger and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.

2. Stir in the sliced kumquats and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook about 30 minutes or until the kumquat slices are tender and appear translucent.

3. Cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Other recipes like this one: Cranberry Sauce with Persimmons and Spice, Blackberry sauce with Lime and Vanilla

One year ago: Espresso Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins