Deep, Dark Chocolate Pudding

• Recipe by Chris Broberg

CHEF WAY This pudding is one component of a seven-part dessert at Café Gray in New York City, where executive pastry chef Chris Broberg serves it in a chocolate-coffee tuile alongside figs in port and candied orange peel, among other sweets.

EASY WAY Forget about all the other components and serve this lush, intensely chocolaty, easy-to-make pudding on its own.

Ingredients

1. 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 2 1/3 cups whole milk
4. 1/2 cup sugar
5. Pinch of salt
6. 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
7. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
8. 2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg
9. 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10. 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso
11. Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. Set a fine strainer in a bowl over a larger bowl of ice water. Microwave the chocolate and butter until melted. Let cool slightly.
2. In a saucepan, simmer 2 cups of the milk with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and cornstarch with the remaining 1/3 cup of milk. Whisk the cocoa paste into the hot milk. In the same bowl, whisk the yolks and whole egg with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Gradually whisk some of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to warm them, then whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderately high heat, whisking, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate-butter, vanilla and espresso. Strain the pudding into the bowl set in the ice bath and stir until cooled. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream.