Ok, here’s my third no-fail valentines day charmer… think warmth… a hot chocolate kiss.. topped with a real kiss no less, and hot chocolate pudding… who can say no to pudding.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Drink:
- 1 1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
- 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
- hot chocolate
- whipped cream and a Hershey’s Kiss for garnish
Combine the liquors with the hot chocolate in an Irish coffee mug, the top with whipped cream and toss a Hershey’s kiss on top.
Desert:
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups nonfat or low-fat milk, divided
- 2/3 cup sugar, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl.
Combine 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup milk until blended. Whisk the simmering milk mixture into the cocoa mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. I know I know it’s a pain with all the whisking and transferring, but you don’t want too much heat or the mixture will burn quickly.
Whisk about 1 cup of the hot cocoa mixture into the beaten egg. Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until steaming and thickened, about 2 minutes. Do not boil. You really need to stay on top of this, its not one of my usual recipes where you can put the thing on auto-pilot and watch the Giants…
Whisk in vanilla. We’re almost there… get those fancy martini glasses and use them to serve the pudding… you could top these with a Hershey’s kiss also… or diced strawberries.
