White Chocolate Pudding with Blackberry Curd
White chocolate pudding:
- 3 tablespoons (25 grams) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ÂĽ teaspoon table salt
- 2ÂĽ cups (530 ml) whole milk
- 4½ ounces (130 grams) white chocolate, chopped
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60 grams) fresh blackberries
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ÂĽ cup (25 grams) sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions:
White-chocolate pudding on its own is tasty—it’s fine, sweet, even, pale. With a slick of sharp blackberry curd? It’s delicious, balanced, and one of the prettiest things to come out of my kitchen in eons.
- Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Before turning on the heat, slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water, and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary, should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- For perfectly silken texture, you can strain the pudding through a fine-mesh strainer (or skip this step if you’re a slacker like me who can abide a lump or two in her puddin’) into a bowl with a spout, and pour into individual serving dishes. Chill in fridge.
- Puréee berries in a food processor or blender until as smooth as possible. Press through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds. You should have between 3 and 4 tablespoons of purée.
- Whisk together the blackberry purée, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and egg in a heavy 1-quart saucepan. Stir in the butter, and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until the curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk, and until the first bubble appears on surface, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pass through a strainer again if you want a perfect texture (though again, I don’t usually bother). Divide curd among prepared cups, gently spreading it on pudding surfaces.