Thursday, March 17, 2011

Sheridan's Black and White chocolate pudding for St Patrick's Day


Do we really need a dessert for St Patrick's Day? No, Guinness is not a dessert. Anyway, last year I made some coffee gelee and topped it with cream in a tiny beer glass. This year, I had lots of ideas, but no time. So, I decided on a rich chocolate pudding. It was made in about 10 minutes flat. Now, I am not a huge fan of chocolate pudding, and much prefer custard, but I thought I'd give it another try. I had tried a vanilla pudding a few months ago and found it too starchy, but hoped the chocolate and booze would fix that. I adapted the recipe from this one, where hundreds of commenters raved about it. I read a lot of the comments and they fell into a few categories: those that loved it; those that couldn't get the pudding to thicken; and the disturbing ones. They made weird substitutions like Cool Whip for milk, breast milk, artificial sweeteners, or they had really odd ideas about food chemistry. I don't know why I torture myself by reading comments, but sometimes it's like a car crash and you just can't look away. At least I can't: I'm nosy.

I added some Dutch-process cocoa and used 72% chocolate here. I was glad I was adding the liqueur at the end, as was very thick, even while hot. If you're skipping the alcohol, reduce the cornstarch a bit, or replace it with another liquid to get a wonderful, silky soft pudding. Have you ever tried Sheridan's? It comes in two colours that are separate, but in a fused glass bottle. The black is whiskey-coffee and the white is creamy vanilla. When you pour it, you get a layered drink. And it tastes much better than Bailey's, I think. I put the black in the pudding and the white in the cream top. Hmmm, in looking for photos of Sheridan's, I see that it is hard to find in the USA. Feel free to replace with whiskey and Bailey's.

Sheridan's Liquor
Source: Tipsy Gifts

Black and White chocolate pudding
Makes 4-6 servings
Black:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
large pinch salt
2 tablespoons darkest Dutch-process cocoa
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces dark chocolate, melted (I used 72%)
4-6 tablespoons Sheridan's black liqueur
White:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Sheridan's white liqueur

Black: Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan and then slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until pudding just comes to a boil. Whisk for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in melted chocolate and liqueur. Strain through a sieve and divide amongst serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
White: Whisk cream and liqueur together until soft peaks form. Serve puddings with a dollop of cream.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! And I like the shamrock drawn in the cream!

cocoa and coconut said...

This would be delicious and satisfying any time of the year. Of course, St Patty's Day is a great excuse. I love the texture. Of course, I love all cremay desserts. This one I am noting down!

Suz said...

That looks gorgeous! The shamrock is a nice touch. I never quite mastered the old shamrock in the Guinness trick.

Laurie {Simply Scratch} said...

um YUM~ Happy St. Patrick's Day Mary!

Anonymous said...

What you said about reading the comments made me laugh! I prefer custards to puddings too but your second photo will make me give it a try!

Unknown said...

Yes, Mary, I remember Sheridan! It really is yum! I don't have any at the moment but I will still make these puddings. I think my children will love them!

Elaine said...

I am not familiar with Sheridan's at all, but now I want to try it. I love chocolate pudding, but have never made it. This looks so good!

Pille said...

That sounds decadent :)

Evelyne CulturEatz said...

Oh this pudding looks wonderful. I actually got Sheridan for xmas but have yet to open it. Just might break the seal to try this recipe

A Canadian Foodie said...

Oh, My! YUMMMM. This is one brilliant and decadent anytime dessert! (...and was the luck o' the Irish with ye, me lass, after the dessert was served?)
;)
Valerie