S'mores Chocolate Pudding

Smooth and silky chocolate pudding, topped with a buttery graham crumble and fluffy toasted meringue. This is one of the many way you can dress up this chocolate pudding recipe. I used to make this recipe at one of my very first restaurant jobs, and although we served it very different then this s'mores variation, I still keep it on my "top 5 favorite desserts" list no matter what it is topped with. It's that good! 

Chocolate Pudding

(makes 4 8oz servings)

35 g cocoa powder (5 tablespoons)

100 g sugar (1/2 cup)

50 g cornstarch (6 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

946 g whole milk (4 cups)

50 g semi-sweet chocolate  (1/3 cup)

In a medium size pot, stir the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Cook the mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, while still stirring, or the bottom of the pot will burn. 

Pour into 8 oz ramekins and immediately cover each one with plastic wrap directly on the surface. As it cools, a skin will start to form on the surface and the plastic wrap prevents this from happening. Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving. Top pudding with graham crumble and lightly torched swiss meringue. Serve immediately.

Graham Crumble

100 g graham crackers finely ground (approximately 4.8oz)

50 g butter (3.75 tablespoons)

Melt the butter and mix into the graham crumbs. Keep covered in an airtight container at room temperature.

Swiss Meringue

85 g egg whites (2 large egg whites)

130 g sugar (2/3 cup) 

Stir together egg whites and sugar, heat over a double boiler until warm to the touch or 130 degrees fahrenheit. Take the egg whites and sugar off of the heat and whip until firm peaks.  

*Meringue does not hold for a very long time, only make this part of the recipe right before serving.