Spiced Chocolate Budino 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 WITH OLIVE OIL AND SALT

Steps:

• To a medium saucepan, whisk together the half-and-half, whole milk, cocoa powder, 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 to 5 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, whole egg, egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until well combined, thick and pale yellow in color.
• While whisking, slowly pour or ladle in about half of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk mixture. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened to the consistency of pancake batter, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Place the melted chocolate in a medium bowl. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl. Pour the cooked custard through the strainer into the melted chocolate, pressing it through the strainer. Remove the strainer and whisk the hot custard and chocolate until completely combined and smooth. Stir in the almond extract and olive oil.
• Evenly divide the budino between six 4- to 6-ounce small glass cups, bowls or ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to chill, 3 to 4 hours.
• In a chilled large bowl, whisk the heavy cream with a handheld electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add the vanilla paste and continue to whip to soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from each budino and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of olive oil, a grating of bittersweet chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt.

CHOCOLATE BUDINO

Steps:

• Fill a bowl with 3 cups water. Add gelatin and let stand until soft. Remove from water and set aside.
• Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; melt chocolate and remove from heat.
• Place 1/3 cup cream and orange zest in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in gelatin. Strain cream mixture, discarding solids, and add to melted chocolate; stir to combine and set aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Set a large bowl in ice-water bath and set aside. Place remaining 1/2 cup cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add boiling cream to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return cream mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking, until it reaches 180 degrees.
• Add cream-egg yolk mixture to chocolate mixture. Stir in milk and Averna. Transfer to bowl set in ice-water bath; let cool to room temperature. Pour into a standard-sized ice-cube tray and transfer to freezer; freeze overnight.
• Before serving, unmold budino and place 1 piece on each of 4 serving plates. Transfer to refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

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.