love and cornstarch.

2.15.2011



a day unadorned. but full of love. 

1.  valentines day.
2.  phad thai and tofu.
3.  homemade chocolate pudding. [double boilers have an odd sense of humor] 
4.  love notes and elephants.

this recognized day of adoring began at the dark and early hour of 6 am.  crawling out of bed this morning I chose my bright red polka-dot blouse. festive indeed.  i worked my normal morning shift at kakao, making my best attempt to pay tribute to this bittersweet holiday by adding latte [he]arts to every drink.

the day continued without much frill. class. grocery shopping. oh and presents. beautiful bowls and juice glasses from anthropologie. what could be better. 

brad and i had well intentioned plans of making phad thai from scratch, these swiftly developed a gracefully and hungrily accepted alternative in take out from our favorite vegetarian thai kitchen in wallingford. it's delicious, spicy, and best of all meant our attentions could be focused on more important things... like pudding.  

note to baker: if are not in possession of a double boiler, using a normal saucepan is perfectly acceptable, in fact it may be necessary. make-shift double boilers have a knack for not heating evenly or effectively. just make sure to stir with diligence as a sauce pan will heat faster and stay hotter. 


pudding for valentines [adapted from Best Chocolate Pudding via smittenkitchen.com]

3 cups whole milk.
6ish oz. semisweet chocolate (we used ghirardelli mini chips - the boyfriend added a little extra).
1/4 cup corn starch.
pinch of salt.
.5 cup sugar. 
1 tsp. vanilla extract

before we commence with directions, a little anecdote for your amusement: 

cornstarch is messy. especially when it is pulled off the counter mistakenly by your boyfriend as he's trying to tidy up the grocery bags. the open container of cornstarch went flailing through the air. then landed with a vengeance.  the scene resembled something similar to a mushroom cloud following an atomic blast. the ghostly thickening agent was everywhere.  somehow from the ground it had cleverly managed to find a home on the top shelves of the cupboards.  the force with which the container hit the ground sent the crisp white powder sailing, it then clung with determination to the cabinet doors, rug, and counter. we continued to experience delightful little puffs of white dust every time we opened a drawer or cabinet door. a comedy of errors. i don't know about you, but i always hope a vacuum won't be required when making pudding.

back to baking.

In a double boiler (or sauce pan) add cornstarch, sugar, a pinch of salt, and milk.  Using a whisk, mix ingredients well before applying heat.  Once over the burner, continue stirring (especially if using a sauce pan) for about 20 minute, or until thick. The pudding should begin to coat the spoon. Add the chocolate and continue stirring over the heat for 2-4 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely mixed and smooth.  Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Let pudding cool in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. 




  





  

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