Chocolate Budino

Tweet

Pin It

What is a Budino?

Budino is a sweet Italian dish, usually rich and creamy like a custard or pudding, only better! The word originally referred to a type of medieval sausage, similar to English pudding. Budino is the Italian word for custard or pudding.

 

Much like whipped cream, chocolate-chip cookies and piping-hot apple pie, budino or pudding is really best when made from scratch. I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate mixed with cocoa to create my version of an utterly indulgent Italian budino. A lovely whipped cream and a sprinkle cocoa powder completes this sophisticated dessert that had us licking our spoons until the last bite!

I like to serve my budino with a dollop of Chantilly Cream , but it is also great with Custard Sauce and fresh raspberries or strawberries.

For a Valentine twist, you could put one red hot heart shaped candy or a heart shaped strawberry into the whipped cream just before delivering to your sweet heart!

For a healthy breakfast, top with blueberries, chia seeds and a sprig of mint!

Chocolate Budino

1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped 
candy cane garnish

Directions

Put the kettle on, and warm the milk and cream together either in a saucepan or microwave.

Put the sugar and cornstarch into another saucepan and sieve in the cocoa. Add the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and whisk to a paste. 

Then whisk in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, followed by the warmed milk and cream, and then the vanilla extract. 

Scrape down the sides of your pan and put it on the heat, cooking and whisking for about 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture thickens - if it helps, think of consistency like mayonnaise.

Take off the heat and whisk in the finely chopped chocolate, before pouring into 4 small cups or glasses each with a yield of about 2/3 of a cup. 

Cover the tops of the cups with plastic wrap to stop them from forming a skin, and then refrigerate once they are cooler. Make sure they are not still fridge-cold when you serve them. You can add a blob of cream on top or pipe it and garnish with cocoa powder. 

 If you or your sweet heart are not big fans of chocolate, here is a delicious link to Salted Caramel Budino.