Hey, Puddin!!

In my book pudding is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It's one of those foods that when I think about it I immediately revert back to childhood. Of course when I think of pudding images of Bill Cosby & the sounds of small children singing "J-E-L-L-O!" also pop into my head. Well, there is no more instant pudding in my house!! When time permits & I'm not being uber lazy of course..lol The recipe I tried was pretty simple, pretty darn tastey & low fat to boot. I only had to cook it for a few minutes, was able to use ingredients I already had on hand. What more can you ask for in a chocolate fix?? I made a few changes to the recipe, using a combo of regular unsweetened cocoa & dutch processed cocoa, omitting the almond extract. I also used about 2 1/2 Tbsp packed cornstarch instead of 3, as I thought 3 seemed like a bit too much & I didn't want the pudding to be too thick. I think I will try it with 3 Tbsp next time. And yes there will definitely be a next time with this recipe =) New-Style Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3 tablespoons (packed) cornstarch 1 teaspoon all purpose flour Pinch of salt 2 cups low-fat (1%) milk 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon almond extract Mix first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Add 1 cup milk and whisk to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in remaining milk. Whisk mixture over medium heat until thickened and beginning to simmer, about 5 minutes. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Divide pudding among 4 custard cups. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.) Serves 4. Bon Appétit April 1997