The concept of this pudding was inspired by my visit to the Folk Museum as well as the Hot Chocolate, New Mexico Style by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and gently boil for 1 minute. (This entire step takes about 5 minutes.)
This recipe actually yields a much darker chocolate pudding than is shown in the pictures. I took these pictures with one of the first batches I made in which I used chocolate morsels rather than cocoa powder. The cocoa powder resulting in a darker pudding and a rich chocolate flavor that I didn’t get from the morsels. So if you make this, don’t be surprised to see an almost black pudding that, when you taste it, screams chocolate!
Chile Powder – Of course you can use any chile powder you have, but after making quite a few batches of this pudding, I keep going back to the Chimayo red chile powder that I get from the Chimayo Chile Brothers, in northern New Mexico. It’s a bit sweeter than most chile powders, making it nice for desserts. The medium is spicy, but not “hot”, and blends well with the ginger and cinnamon. No matter what chile powder you choose, I highly recommend using mild or medium. You want the flavor of the spice to complement the chocolate, without having the heat of the spice to overpower it.
Dairy – After trying several combinations of cornstarch, milk and cream, I found that the combination that yields the best texture is the one listed in the recipe: 3 Tbsp. cornstarch with 2 cups milk (whole or 2%).
Spices – The spices used in the Jamison's hot chocolate recipe are what inspired this pudding: ginger, cinnamon, and red chile. I normally don’t use ginger with New Mexico red chile powder, but now that I’ve tried it, I like it. Ginger, cinnamon and red chile is a great combo with chocolate!
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen