Amaretto Cream Pudding (Crema all'Amaretto)

Cocoa beans were one of the New World's offerings to Europe in the sixteenth century. Southern Italians embraced this new ingredient more than their northern neighbors, using it in sweet confections as well as in some vegetable dishes such as Caponata.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

The combination of semisweet chocolate, amaretti cookies, and Amaretto liqueur in this chocolate cream dessert makes for a sublime ending to a dinner party.

Ingredients

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups + 2 tablespoons cold milk
• 1/2 cup lightly packed King Arthur™ Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup (7 ounces) finely grated semisweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 3 teaspoons Amaretto liqueur
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped amaretti cookies
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan and mix well with a wire whisk. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk until smooth. Sift in the flour a little at a time and continue whisking. Add the remaining milk and whisk to blend.
2. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken slightly. Add the chocolate and continue whisking until the mixture reaches the boiling point. Whisk for a minute, taking care not to let the mixture burn, then remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the vanilla extract, butter, and liqueur and blend carefully with a rubber spatula. Cover the mixture with a sheet of buttered wax paper and let cool for about 5 minutes.
4. Blend in the cookies, and pour the mixture into individual serving dishes or into a decorative serving dish. Cover with buttered wax paper and refrigerate at least 4 to 6 hours or until set.
5. Just before serving, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.

Notes

Be sure to use good quality chocolate such as Lindt or Ghiradelli. I serve this in individual goblets, or use it as a filling to make chocolate pie.