Passionate Perseverance: tasty tuesday - courtney's princess pudding

My sweet girl loves chocolate. Unfortunately she can't have sugar very often because it can bring on seizures. So three times a year, Christmas, Easter and her birthday, I make my girl some fabulous pudding. She eats every single spoonful with great glee and smiles from ear to ear.

So since this week it's all about the Courtmonster, I thought I would post my favorite chocolate pudding recipe. It's from the fabulous cookbook Pure Chocolate by the incomparable Fran Bigelow creator of Fran's Chocolates. It's called Princess Pudding. Perfect don't you think? This is not a dessert for the faint of heart. It is rich, dense and very filling. The flavor is intense and oh so good. It's not a difficult dessert to make so don't be shy. Step on up and give it a whirl.

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Fresh whipped cream

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan combine the cream and sugar. Using the back of a paring knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the mixture. Toss in the bean. Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy. Slowly pour 1/3 of the cream into the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture pack into the pan and return to low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 160 degrees F)

3. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Add the finely chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.

4. While mixture is still warm, pour into a serving bowl or into 8 individual demitasse cups. Let cool slightly then top with the whipped cream and serve.

Princess Pudding is best served at room temperature to bring out the chocolate flavor. It can be refrigerated as long as 2 days.