Happy Valentine's Day! Wonder what you'd do with glass ramekins? Make pudding, of course. Surprise your family or guests with this favorite dessert, surely to be the cool 2011 favorite with all of the old-world trends happening today. Your family and friends will love the effort you've put into this delicious homemade treat. Try out your favorite toppings to decorate these little wonders.
The Duralex glass ramekin is made in France of tempered glass, which is amazingly durable and safe, is 2.5 times stronger than standard glass and is very shock-resistant. Although these ramekins are NOT oven-safe, they are free to go into the dishwasher and microwave. We love using these cups for single serving desserts, fruit, sauces and hors d'oeurves as well.
Silky Chocolate Pudding adapted from John Scharffenberger's, "The Essence of Chocolate".
Serves 6
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups whole milk
- 6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (recommended: good quality semisweet chocolate chips--use 70% bittersweet if you want more of a dark chocolate kick)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (or skip this step if you like sort-of lumpy pudding) into a glass serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual glass ramekins.
3. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. ENJOY!
Have a favorite way to use glass ramekins? Recipe for pudding? Please do share in the comments below.
