Split-Level Pudding
Pudding seems so appropriate for the back-to-school time of year. Maybe it’s because when I was a kid it was a rare and thrilling treat to get Snack Pack pudding in my lunch bag. This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe isn’t school yard pudding, it’s elegant enough to be a fitting finish to a fancy dinner party.
What’s so fancy about this pudding? The layer of chocolate under the creamy rich vanilla pudding, isn’t more pudding, it’s chocolate ganache. The rich dark chocolate is not only a perfect flavor contrast to the silky vanilla cream, but a luxurious textural contrast. The dense ganache tastes like a decadent chocolate bonbon and the sweet creamy vanilla pudding plays like a luscious crème anglaise. This is quite possibly the most elegant pudding I have ever had, despite being served in votive candle holders from Ikea.
I remained true to the vanilla pudding and decided to play with the flavor of the ganache. I added cinnamon, ancho chile, and cayenne pepper in pinches until it reached just the right balance of cinnamon comfort and chile heat. Given that it is paired against a very soothing vanilla pudding, I was fairly aggressive with the spices and the result was fantastic. I really look forward to serving this at a dinner party, maybe even in the Ikea candle holders. They’re actually a perfect size.
The method used for making the pudding, seemed to be more complicated than it needed to be. Ingredients were transferred in and out of the food processor, resulting in a very nice pudding, but not any better than pudding made in a single pan right on the stove and then strained through a sieve.
Garrett from The Flavor of Vanilla chose this week’s recipe. Once again I’m happy to have the TWD group expanding my dessert selections, because I quite likely would have flipped right past this recipe. To never have discovered the delightful result of hiding chocolate ganache at the bottom of pudding dishes would have been unfortunate. This recipe is posted on The Flavor of Vanilla, but you can also apply the concept to any favorite pudding recipe you like to make.
Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours . 94 recipes completed 127 to go!
All photos by David Peterman unless otherwise noted
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October 6th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Your pudding looks great and that container looks just like the snack pack container!! haha!! I bet it was wonderful with the addition of the spices!!
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October 6th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
It looks mouthwatering. Im going in the kitchen to make pudding now.
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October 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Great idea to customize the ganache!
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October 6th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I love the idea of a spicy chocolate layer. Well done!
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October 6th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Carol!!!!
Glad you are a fan of this pudding! I like your brilliant additional spices. That sounds amazing! And Ikea votive holders?! GENIUS.
Have a wonderful day!
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October 6th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
True simple is often best. Plus spices and chocolate are the perfect match… but you’re also right in wanting to eventually try the combo I used: chocolate, lemon and coffee.
I have no merit really, since it is went buying a box of fine chocolate last Xmas and stumbling on a lemon and coffee dark chocolate, that the idea came to me. My bubie and I found the mix of flavours to be so amazing, I started to use is in all sorts of stuff… cakes, pastries, puddings, etc.
Definately a must try!
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October 6th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I cheated and just whisked – sshhh! I never do the food processor step, just because I have a dinky little mini-prep, and it always turns out okay. I really like the chile addition though – good idea to amp up the amount you put in to make up for the vanilla pudding portion. How much did you end up using?
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Carol Peterman Reply:
October 6th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I probably used about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and I think I ended up with 3 pinches of ancho and 3 pinches of cayenne.
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October 6th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
i think my glasses are actually candle holders, too…whatever! i totally agree that all that food processor stuff is nonsense…and makes a ton of mess pouring stuff in and out! i like the sound of that spicy ganache!
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October 7th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Votive candle holders!!! What a great idea! That is innovation in plating!!! Gorgeous job! And I love the spices in the ganache!
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October 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Looks like it came out perfectly. Like the tweaks to the chocolate. Bet it was good with the simple vanilla flavor.
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October 7th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I have tried cinnamon in chocolate but never ancho chile or cayenne. Sounds wonderful!
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October 7th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
The spicy ganache sounds delicious with the vanilla layer. The candleholders are such a great idea! Nice size and shape, plus a clear glass is great for this recipe.
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October 8th, 2009 at 9:01 am
The spiced chocolate layer sounds divine!
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October 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I’ve seen quite a few comments about pudding cups in lunch bags, seems to be a common share memory.
Yours is a far cry from those, though… mmm, so yummy sounding and elegant. I like the idea of cinnamon and pepper together. Very creative!
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