The DIY Pantry (61 page)

This chocolate pudding recipe is just as easy as mixing up the boxed version! Be sure to whisk well if lumps form, or strain it through a strainer once you’re done. For a dairy-free version, feel free to use milk substitutes, such as almond milk or coconut milk. However, try to avoid rice milk and skim milk, merely because such extremely low-fat liquids will not thicken well.

1. Place 3 cups of the milk, along with the sugar and salt, in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk is steaming and the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, place the starch in a bowl and drizzle in the remaining cup of milk while whisking to create first a slurry and then a fully dissolved milk/starch mixture.
   
3. Pour the milk/starch mixture into the hot milk and whisk to mix well. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until it is once again hot and the mixture has thickened noticeably, 7–9 minutes. Remember that the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.
   
4. Add in the chocolate, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted and the pudding is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and your flavoring of choice and spoon into serving dishes. Place plastic wrap directly on the pudding to prevent a skin from forming (if one does, you can just pull it off) and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
   
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
   

This method of making almond paste is simple and stunning. The recipe tastes like it came straight off the confectioner’s worktable in the Old World, and it’s just the right texture to knead and shape as desired. The ratio of sugar and honey here provides the best texture and best moisture for the paste.

1. If your almonds aren’t preblanched, blanch them.
   
2. Place the almonds in a food processor and grind until they are the size of very coarsely ground coffee. Let sit until the sugar mixture is ready.
   
3. Place the sugar, honey, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat. While it’s still boiling, pour the syrup over the almonds; then process until smooth, which usually takes 5–10 minutes. At some point in the first few minutes of grinding, add the almond extract through the feed tube so that it gets thoroughly worked into the dough.
   
4. Remove the almond paste from the processor and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until fully chilled; then use as desired. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 weeks.