Chocolate is one of my most recent (and most powerful) pregnancy cravings. I can’t get enough of it. So, today, we’re going with a classic dessert: chocolate pudding. Obviously, the Harry Potter books are set in England, and “pudding” can mean different things across the pond. Today, we’re going to do a creamy pudding, not a meat-filled pastry or spongy chocolate cake, that’s closer to what we typically think of as pudding in the U.S.
For a good description of the types of food the term “pudding” can refer to, click here.
Connection to Harry Potter
As anyone whose read the series knows, these books are filled with food references, particularly desserts. From the yearly welcome feasts to the treats in Hogsmeade, J.K. Rowling understood that she could strongly connect to her audience through food. For this recipe, we’re making a pudding that may have been referenced in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
After a hilarious scene where Harry accidentally inflates his Aunt Marge (literally like a balloon) by losing control of his magic due to her continuous stream of insults aimed at his parents, Harry flees the Dursley residence for the Leaky Cauldron. The Leaky Cauldron is a pub in Diagon Alley, a major shopping district in the wizard world, and while he’s residing there, Harry enjoys freedom unlike he’s never had before. He’s able to roam about Diagon Alley as he pleases, without his overbearing (and frankly, abusive) muggle family constantly on his back.
Once school shopping time rolls around again, the Weasleys meet up with Harry and Hermione for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the innkeeper, serves them an extravagant five-course meal, the content of which we can only imagine.
Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, pg. 63.
What we do know, however, is that it’s topped off with a chocolate pudding for dessert. We don’t know if this is a pudding in the British sense, but I’m going to use a creamy milk pudding recipe found in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, (pg. 33).
The Recipe
This recipe is for a creamy chocolate pudding, and I followed it fully. The results were superrrr rich and yummy. It’s best enjoyed after it’s had the opportunity to chill and set in the fridge for awhile.
Rich, Smooth Chocolate Milk Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate melted
- ¼ stick butter melted (2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk together cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan.
- Mix in heavy cream and milk.
- Cook over medium-high heat while constantly stirring. Keep stirring until the cocoa powder is dissolved.
- Once it's dissolved, remove from heat and add in the melted chocolate.
- Return to the heat, and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Be sure to stir gently at this stage.
- Remove the pan from the heat once more. Add in the butter and vanilla, and stir until completely dissolved.
- Strain the pudding into a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, and chill until it's set.
I also whipped up some homemade whipped cream to put on top, and I highly recommend doing this! Recipe below.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Equipment
- stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 pint heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whip heavy cream with hand or stand mixer on high speed until it thickens and reaches the consistency of whipped cream.
- Serve on any sweet treat. Chill the rest, and store in the refrigerator up to one week.
Try this out, and let me know what you think!
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