Chocolate Budino
Food
Audio By Carbonatix
By Ken Rosato, "The Food Dude", TheFoodDude.us
Chocolate Budino, or Budino al Cioccolato as it is known in its native tongue, is a rich, creamy pudding that has been enjoyed in Italy for generations. Budino is merely the Italian word for Pudding, but there are differences between the Italian and American cousins. For one, the Italian counterpart is made with semi-sweet chocolate, so it has a slightly richer chocolate flavor. It's also gluten-free, as it is made without flour as a thickening agent (or corn starch for that matter, which is sometimes the case here). Instead, Chocolate Budino is thickened with rich, fatty egg yolks, which give the dessert is sultry tongue feel. Once you try this version of pudding, you'll never go back to those familiar little supermarket boxes. (You should be able to find these ingredients in your local market. If not, I've provided affiliate links on The Food Dude website).
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 8 ounces chopped, semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon European unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
- Sprinkle of Maldon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)
Add chopped chocolate to a large, heat-resistant bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, whisk egg yolks with granulated sugar. While whisking constantly, slowly add 2 of the 3 cups of heavy cream. Keep whisking until mixture is heated and coats the back of a spoon. Slowly pour heated egg yolk mixture over chocolate in bowl and and stir until the chocolate melts. Stir in vanilla paste, Maldon sea salt and butter. Pour into four to eight serving bowls (depending on your appetite!), cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours. While the cups are chilling, add the remaining cup of heavy cream to a bowl and whisk into whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve budino. Remove plastic wrap from each serving bowl and dollop a large portion of whipped cream onto each serving. If you'd like to be fancy, grate a little leftover chocolate over whipped cream, or sprinkle some cocoa powder on top.
