Recipe courtesy of Melissa Gaman for Food Network Kitchen

Chocolate Pudding with Cherries

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr (plus 4 hr chilling)
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 4 servings
The pudding in this recipe is set with gelatin instead of eggs, making it very similar to Italian panna cotta. Marinating raw cherries as a topping is a fun way to highlight the fruit during their peak season.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Put 1/4 cup milk in a small dish and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand until the gelatin softens and looks wrinkly on top of the milk, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 cup milk, the heavy cream, 3 tablespoons sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan. Stir the cocoa powder with the hot water in a small bowl until smooth, then add to the saucepan with the heavy cream mixture.
  2. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Microwave the gelatin mixture until warm, about 20 seconds, then stir to fully dissolve the gelatin. Pour the gelatin mixture into the saucepan and cook, whisking, until the mixture is smooth and steaming but not boiling.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let stand a few minutes, then whisk until very smooth and the chocolate is fully melted. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
  4. Evenly divide the mixture among 4 cups or ramekins. Let cool until no longer steaming, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  5. Toss the cherries in a medium bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the vanilla bean paste and the bourbon. Let stand until juicy, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon over the pudding.