Request Line! Coconut Chocolate Pudding

I’m pleased to present my very first request: Coconut Chocolate Pudding. My dear friend Christopher found the recipe on 101cookbooks.com.

I’ve rarely met a pudding I didn’t like. When it comes to cooking, though, I’ve rarely met a pudding that likes ME. I haven’t attempted all that many in the past, but one banana pudding I *repeatedly* attempted really sticks in my mind. Despite my best efforts, it just wouldn’t congeal. The taste was terrific, but the texture was traumatic.

I’m so excited to report that things went much better with this recipe. I did struggle a bit with the ingredients… I wasn’t able to locate the raz el hanout spice blend at Central Market, and the arrowroot powder and alkalized dutch-cocoa powder were a bit extravagant (but worth it!). Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk, divided (I used light instead of regular)
3 tablespoons of sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, sifted
1 teaspoon raz el hanout spice blend or curry, optional (I actually used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon instead)
3 tablespoons alkalized dutch-cocoa powder, sifted
1 3.5-ounce bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat.

While that is heating, in a separate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, spice blend (or curry powder), and cocoa powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.

When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering, take 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Turn down the heat to the very lowest setting. Now drizzle the arrowroot slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk, whisking vigorously all the while. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat and continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. Place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap up against the surface of the pudding. Serve dusted with coconut flakes and a tiny pinch of spices.

Honestly, I had no idea what a slurry was prior to trying this recipe. (Wikipedia says it’s “A mixture of water and a starch used to thicken liquids to make a culinary sauce,” though it’s also Australian slang for “a promiscuous lady,” lol.) The recipe seems a bit fancy with its unusual ingredients and terminology, but I think the only skills really necessary for success here are the ability to simmer liquids and use a whisk.

This pudding had a perfectly smooth texture and great flavor. I meant to only taste it after I took the picture above, but I ended up eating the whole bowl (but not the whole recipe!). The coconut flavor really wasn’t that strong… I don’t know that I would have identified it at all if I didn’t know I used coconut milk as the pudding base. The cinnamon was a nice addition, though. Coconut flakes were a perfect, tasty garnish.

TIPS: The recipe kept stressing low heat settings, but I had to take my electric burner almost up to medium heat to get my coconut milk, sugar, and salt simmering in the first part of the recipe. Once the simmer started, I immediately reduced the heat level. After the pudding had finished cooking, I chilled it for about 2 hours before serving it.

The author mentions that there are a number of ways to modify this recipe to change the flavor. Using different chocolate bar varieties could be fun, and I may take the suggestion to add a splash of coconut extract for a stronger coconut flavor next time around.

Recipe link: Coconut Chocolate Pudding