Chocolate Stout Pudding!

I've had a bottle of Chocolate Stout languishing in my fridge since October. It came in a Harpoon Brewery multi-pack.  We drank everything else, leaving one lone beer that no one wanted.  This made me feel guilty.  I needed to drink it or use it before St. Patrick's Day rolled around.  

I had a spot of maple syrup left from last year's tapping just lolling at the bottom of a bottle at the back of the fridge.  We're working on this year's batch.  With about 1/2 cup of amber sitting around just as I'm boiling down gallons of sap, I was feeling guilty.  I needed to drink it straight from the bottle or use it.

And then it came to me:  pudding.  I was going to make pudding and put all the ingredients to use.  

How about some donut with that pudding?

The beauty of pudding is that you can eat it straight, shove it into a donut or use it as a tart filling.  For a multi-tasking baker lady, it's the perfect treat to have hanging around as Fasching and St. Patty's day roll around.

Chocolate Stout Pudding

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I use Callebaut Extra Brute)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 bottle chocolate stout (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

PROCEDURE

Cocoa powder and cornstarch waiting for the rest of their friends.

-Whisk together cocoa powder, maple syrup, cornstarch, chocolate stout, egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment.

-In a large saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.

-With the mixer running on low, carefully pour the hot cream into the cocoa powder mixture.  Whisk until completely combined.

Transfer from the mixer back into the saucepan.

-Transfer the liquid back into the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until the pudding thickens.

Getting there...just not thick enough, though.

That's what I'm talking about!

-Ladle the pudding into serving glasses.  Cover the tops with a small piece of plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming, making sure the wrap touches the surface of the pudding.

Ladle!

-Refrigerate until completely cool.

CHILL!

-Top with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.