Chocolate Budino With Candied Walnuts Food

CHOCOLATE BUDINO WITH CANDIED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Candied Walnuts:
• Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally to dissolve sugar. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, add walnuts and bring syrup back up to a simmer. Cook, swirling saucepan occasionally for even cooking, until walnuts look slightly translucent and are softened, 30-35 minutes.
• Drain walnuts in a mesh sieve and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Sprinkle walnuts with salt.
• Place a rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 300°F. Bake walnuts in oven, stirring once or twice, until well browned, 15-18 minutes. Let cool, then break up into small pieces.
• Budino and assembly:
• Place chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring cream and milk to a bare simmer in a large saucepan and remove from heat.
• Vigorously whisk egg yolks and sugar in another medium bowl until pale yellow and sugar is dissolved (rub between fingers to check), about 2 minutes.
• Gradually pour cream mixture into egg yolk mixture, whisking vigorously. Immediately pour egg yolk mixture into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula and making sure to get into the corners of the pan, until an instant-read thermometer registers 175°F (custard should be thick enough to coat a spoon; do not let it simmer or allow thermometer to go above 180°F).
• Pour custard over reserved chocolate and let sit until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender or a whisk, blend until emulsified (if using a whisk, you may want to strain budino through a fine-mesh sieve after to ensure a silky texture). Add kosher salt and 1 Tbsp. oil to chocolate mixture and blend to incorporate.
• Divide budino evenly among six 8-12-oz. glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Top each budino with candied walnuts, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little oil. Serve with scoops of gelato if desired.
• Do Ahead
• Walnuts can be candied 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Budinos (without toppings) can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

CHOCOLATE BUDINO

Steps:

• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Grease a 9-inch cake pan or 12-cup muffin tin. Wipe out excess oil with a paper towel and set aside.
• Chop the chocolate into small shards. Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler or large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water over very low heat. Melt the chocolate slowly, stirring occasionally.
• In a medium bowl, gently whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar and flour until all ingredients are well incorporated.
• When chocolate is smooth, remove bowl from hot water and add butter. Stir until butter is melted and chocolate is smooth again. Add egg mixture, mixing well.
• Spoon batter into cake pan or prepared muffin tin, filling each cup half-full. Bake for 18-20 minutes in a cake pan or 11-12 minutes in a muffin tin. The edges will have just begun to pull away from the pan, and the center should still look moist and shiny. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
• While pan is still warm, place a baking sheet over the top, and invert the pan. Carefully lift pan to release cake. Transfer cake to a serving platter or individual dessert plates if you've baked the cakes in a muffin tin.
• The budino is best served warm but is also delicious at room temperature.