Sinfully delicious traditional chocolate pudding.

Skinny tofu chocolate pudding.

I have a philosophical question for you.  It's a quality versus quantity issue.  Would you rather have a fully charged humdinger of a chocolate pudding with all the traditional ingredients of cream, eggs and sugar once in a long while, OR a skinny impostor made of tofu more often with a fraction of the fat and calories???  In my mind there's no question which tastes better.  The original makes your taste buds sing, just not your arteries.  The tofu version is fine, in fact if would be good if you've never tasted the real thing and certainly quells any unmanageable chocolate cravings.  I'm in a quandary, which would you choose,  once in a while treat or everyday ordinary??

Sinfully delicious chocolate pudding.

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of cornstarch

1 cup of good quality chocolate

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

4 oz butter

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl of your electric mixer and with the whisk attachment, whisk until very light and thick. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stir until smooth and leave to cool while the eggs and sugar are whisking.

Add the slighty cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and sugar mixture and whisk to combine.

Add the cornstarch to the mixture and whisk to combine.

Heat the milk and vanilla extract in a pan to scalding point.  Pour into a measuring jug.

With the mixer running on low, very slowly pour the vanilla milk into the chocolate mixture. 

Whisk until fully combined.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, on a low heat stir continuously until thick. 

You may start to think it will NEVER thicken.  I have absolutely NO patience with this sort of thing.  It is generally just when I think I can't stand another moment of stirring that the cornstarch magically thickens the mixture and you are left with a beautiful smooth pudding like sauce.

If the mixture becomes lumpy, remove from the heat and whisk it furiously into smooth submission.

Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding and place in the refrigerator to fully set and chill.
Be sure to hide this at the back of the fridge, or else when you go to serve it, it will have been consumed by husband and children.

To serve, decorate with whipped cream and perhaps a shaving of chocolate and fall under the spell of chocolate pudding bliss.

Tofu Chocolate Pudding.

12 oz of silken tofu

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup of skim milk

Microwave the chocolate chips until melted.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blitz until you have a smooth consistency.

Pour into one big bowl or individual ramakins.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least a couple of hours.

Serve with perhaps a grating of extra chocolate on top and some berries of your choice.