Homemade Chocolate Pudding

I've always loved pudding. I don't know if it was those Bill Cosby commercials, but pudding has always been a favorite of mine. I like the traditional flavors best - chocolate and vanilla. But you could throw in butterscotch or pistachio, and I would gobble it up too! My all time favorite is tapioca. I don't know what those little kernels really are, but I will eat the hell out of some tapioca!

My sister and her family are gluten-free. It makes dessert time a little of a challenge, but I try. She does a wonderful job of finding really good gluten-free recipes for cakes and cookies - I leave that to her. But traditional-style desserts are more my specialty so I scour the cookbooks for any recipe that doesn't use flour. So far, we've done a flourless chocolate cake with strawberry coulis and creme brulee. Tonight, we go with homemade chocolate pudding.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

2/3 cups sugar
3 1/2 tbsps cornstarch
3 tbsps cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tbsps unsalted butter (optional, but ideal for the 2% milk to add more richness)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up into small pieces
2 1/2 tsps vanilla

In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt until blended. Add about 3/4 cup of the milk and stir until incorporated. Slowly add the remaining milk and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Constantly stirring, bring to a boil until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted, no streaks remain and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Strain through a medium-fine sieve into individual pudding dishes. (I prefer to strain in a serving bowl and then ladle into individual dishes - slightly less mess). Press plastic wrap directly into pudding to prevent it from developing a skin.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream!