DECADENT (INSTANT POT) CHOCOLATE PUDDING
This seems like a chocolate pudding weekend. Anyone else feeling it? Not quite deep winter, but not yet spring. Snow melting, but with no spring break plans in sight. That spells chocolate, and a slow burn on comfort food for me. Not the gooey pasta bakes and endless pots of stew of February, but something a bit more, well, hopeful. The twinkle through my windows tells me it’s not too risky to cling to the light. And yet it’s not time for peas and asparagus, either.
So, pudding!
Chocolate pudding holds a deep spot spot in my heart—the kind say, strudel serves for my husband, András, dumplings might for my friend, Hetty, or hot cocoa (daily, with “mash-mallows!”) does for my son, Mátyás. Chocolate pudding is probably the first things I learned to make, after chocolate chip cookies, as my mom relinquished the reigns of the kitchen to me, bit by bit. There was the boxed kind, with warm milk and a vigorous whisking, That was a treat, with the warm chocolate skin that pulled taunt across the surface as you waited, patiently, opening the fridge door every 90 seconds to see if indeed it had set enough, yet (spoiler alert, it hasn’t!). And of course, instant pudding—cold and thick in snap. Both could due in a pinch, if, say, no one had time to help and the craving at hand required actual instant results. But once I discovered how to make true homemade chocolate pudding, thick and decadent, the pudding of my grandmothers—the kind that satisfies whole body and soul—there was no turning back.
There’s a recipe for decadent, stove-top chocolate pudding in my first book, here, and if you don’t have it, here’s another recipe I trust (dear Dorie Greenspan never gets chocolate wrong!) But now there’s a new kind of instant in my life—Instant Pot. I learned this time last year that Instant Pot Chocolate Pudding is truly a marvel of science—no stirring or whisking, no straining or risk of curdling or clumping. Like your homemade stovetop pudding, it can be eaten warm or cold, but unlike that pudding, you can change the texture from rich and creamy, to thick and mousse-like with one simple tweak. In short, I LOVE IT. And I hope you do, too.
The recipe is from my latest book, INSTANT FAMLY MEALS—but honestly, since a good pudding recipe might be what it takes to get us through a second March in quarantine, I’m adding it here for all to enjoy, well, now.
RECIPE, BELOW
(INSTANT POT) Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding
reprinted with permission from INSTANT FAMILY MEALS, by SARAH COPELAND
We’re a pudding family. I’m so not bothered by whipping up a from-scratch pudding on the stovetop, because it’s always worth it and we almost always have the ingredients to pull it off: milk, eggs, chocolate, sugar. Still, a hands-off version (i.e., no stirring)--a true set-it-and-forget-it from-scratch pudding--is another of life’s little gifts, one I’ll gladly accept.
cooking this pudding in an instant pot on low pressure yields a looser, creamier pudding, while high pressure produces a soufflé-meets-mousse texture--one that my family finds irresistible. Either way is a hands-off miracle that I can get behind. Let the pudding cool completely before serving or even dipping int: To get the right texture, it’s essential that the steam settle. Dip in too early and you’ll upset the delicate balance and nearly flawless presentation.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 6 x 3-inch or 7 x 3-inch ceramic ramekin
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
⅓ cup brown sugar (light or dark) or coconut sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Place the chocolate in a metal bowl and set aside. Combine the milk and half-and-half in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Pour the milk over the chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth.
Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until completely smooth. Gradually pour the hot chocolate mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly to combine. (You can pause the recipe here and store this mixture for up to 2 days in the fridge.)
Pour the chocolate custard into a 6 x 3 or 7 x 3-inch round ceramic ramekin and cover tightly with foil. Set the dish on a steamer rack or trivet and use the handles to lower it into an electric pressure cooker. Pour 1 ½ cups water into pot. Lock the lid into place and cook on low pressure (for a creamier finish) or high pressure (for a mouse-like finish) for 18 minutes. Let the steam release naturally (about 20 minutes).
Lift the pudding out of the pressure cooker using your trivet handles. Remove the foil, cool to room temperature, and then chill until ready to serve, 2 to 3 hours.
Prep Time: 10 minutes * Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (including chilling time)
Serves 4 to 6 (makes about 3 cups)
SILKY SMOOTH
If you’re looking for a flawlessly smooth and creamy pudding, cook this on low pressure, let cool completely, and then stir it vigorously with a spoon until smooth.
MAKE AHEAD
Make and chill the pudding up to three days before serving.
food styling // SARAH COPELAND
photo // CHRISTOPHER TESTANI
ceramics // LOST QUARRY