Chocolate Pudding With Orange Zest

About three months ago, I went through a surgery everybody has to go through; getting your wisdom teeth extracted.  The oral surgeon gave me vicodin before the operation so that I wouldn’t be a nervous wreck. Six hours later, I awoke in my bed, experiencing my first black out. I had absolutely no memory of walking into the doctor’s office or leaving it.  Supposedly, before I went under, I told my mom that I was going to keep my phone with me so that I could make phone calls during the surgery (don’t ask, that doesn’t make sense to me either). Once I awoke, it took both my parents to get me into my apartment and my bed.  The week that followed, I lived on a diet of pudding and ice cream. It was glorious. However, after that first week, I never wanted to touch either of those dairy products again. Too much of a good thing, I guess. It wasn’t until today, when out of the blue, I had a craving for chocolate pudding with orange zest.  Random, but I knew I had to act on it and that I did. I will never go three months without pudding again.  It’s simply to soul satisfying to go without.

Adapted from here

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 7 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of Nutella

Directions:

Combine the orange zest and the sugar together, rub together with your fingers to create a orange flavored sugar (yummy). Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides 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. Stir in one teaspoon of Nutella. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual serving dishes. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Enjoy!