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I don't know about you, put it seems that we can't escape the chocolate pudding craze in fast snack foods. Touted for desserts, lunchtime snacks or as fat-free treats. These little tubs of preprocessed pudding seem to be everywhere.

I decided that maybe its time to revisit the lowly chocolate pudding to see if fresh is really better. Some would say that pudding is just another word for a chocolate mousse made with custard. In most recipes that I researched, pudding recipes contain the addition of a slight bit of flour and a ratio of more eggs to chocolate. The higher egg to chocolate ratio seems to give the pudding "body" and heaviness that distinguish it from a mousse.

The following recipe is very basic but don't let that fool you. If you use great chocolate the result will bear little resemblance any pudding you've tasted before. Instead of the usual custard cup, I cook the chocolate pudding in a wider mouthed bowl. Then I serve with a pool of vanilla creme anglaise poured onto the center.

My Favorite Homemade Pudding
Serves 6

8 oz very good quality semisweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 recipe Creme Anglaise (to follow)

Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat until melted. Beat in the sugar until well incorporated and sugar granules have disappeared. Remove pan from the heat.

Beat eggs with the flour until light and fluffy. Then beat egg mixture into chocolate mixture until well combined. Pour mixture into 6 individual oven-proof bowls. Set the bowls in a pan filled with 1/2-inch water. This is called a bain-marie and allows the puddings to cook slower as they are immersed in water. Carefully place the puddings in the pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove puddings from the oven, let come to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. Serve with a pool of Creme Anglaise on the top.

Creme Anglaise
Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups sauce

3 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Scald the milk in a pan and set aside. Place eggs and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Turn heat under double boiler to low. As water in the lower pan heats, whisk the eggs and sugar until they thicken and drizzle in ribbons off the whisk. Slowly add the scalded milk stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula. Raise the heat to simmer and continue stirring until mixture thickens and coats the spoon. Make sure not to let the mixture boil or it will curdle. This takes a few minutes - so be patient.

When the custard is thickened, remove from the heat and continue stirring until it cools. Add vanilla. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate to store.

Black and White Pudding
Serves 6

Making a white chocolate version of the previous recipe is fine but I find it too sweet for my taste. A combination of white and dark chocolate puddings tastes much richer and makes a wonderful presentation with white chocolate swirls in the pool of dark chocolate.

4 oz very good quality semisweet chocolate
4 oz real white chocolate not white confectioners coating
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
6 large eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

White chocolate pudding:
Melt the white chocolate and 1/2 cup butter over low heat until melted. Be very careful as white chocolate will seize and get very granular if allowed to get too hot. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar until well incorporated and sugar granules have disappeared. Remove pan from the heat. Beat 3 eggs with 1/2 tablespoon flour until light and fluffy. Then beat egg mixture into white chocolate mixture until well combined.

Dark chocolate pudding:
Melt the semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup butter over low heat until melted. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar until well incorporated and sugar granules have disappeared. Remove pan from the heat. Beat 3 eggs with 1/2 tablespoon flour until light and fluffy. Then beat egg mixture into semisweet chocolate mixture until well combined.

Pour the dark chocolate pudding into 6 individual oven-proof glass bowls. Pour the white chocolate pudding into a pitcher, then carefully drizzle the white pudding in decorative ribbons over the dark chocolate mixture. Try not to agitate the bowl too much as you want to keep the two pudding mixtures separate. This takes a little practice. My first attempt wasn't that stellar - I gave that bowl to myself. Also it is hard to gage how much white pudding to pour into each bowl. I used a liquid measuring cup as it had the volume measures on the side. This helped to get the puddings equal. But don't worry too much about this, some guests will want more or less.

Set the bowls in a pan filled with 1/2-inch water. This is called a bain-marie and allows the puddings to cook slower as they are immersed in water. Carefully place the puddings in the pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove puddings from the oven, let come to room temperature then refrigerate overnight.

Pam Williams is an educator and business strategist specializing in marketing and communications. Her culinary accomplishments include: founder Ecole Chocolat Professional Chocolatier School, founder of the specialty chocolatier, au Chocolat; author and publisher of three cookbooks including the Canadian best selling chocolate cookbook, Oh Truffles.

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