Bittersweet chocolate gives this creamy pudding a decidedly grown-up taste. It’s a favorite at the City Limits Diner in Stamford, Connecticut, where it originated. The ingredient list calls for Valrhona, but any good-quality bittersweet chocolate will do. With only six ingredients, the hardest thing you’ll have to do is wait for dessert to be ready.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 275°F.
Step 2
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into a 3-quart heavy saucepan with the tip of a paring knife, then add the pod, milk, cream, and sugar and bring just to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the chocolate and cook over moderately high heat, stirring gently with a whisk, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture just boils. Remove from the heat.
Step 3
Pour the mixture into a metal bowl. Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the yolks, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart measure, discarding the pod and any other solids.
Step 4
Divide the mixture among 6 (1/4-cup) ramekins. Bake in a water bath until the puddings are just set around edge but the centers wobble when the ramekins are gently shaken, about 1 hour.
Step 5
Cool the puddings in the water bath 1 hour, then remove from the water and chill, uncovered, until cold, at least 1 hour.
do ahead
Step 6
The PUDDINGS can be chilled, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap after 4 hours, up to 2 days. Blot very gently with paper towels before serving to remove the “stain” that formed.
