Chocolate Pudding

We really enjoy this pudding recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook:
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tb cornstarch
2 Tb Dutch-processed cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups milk
3 large egg yolks
6 oz melted bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract

The original recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups half and half, but that's overkill in my book. Even 1 percent milk works fine. It also calls for a tablespoon of unsalted butter, which also seems unnecessary. (Let me put it this way: I don't miss it when I leave it out.)

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sauce pan. Slowly wisk in the milk, then the egg yolks one at a time. Add the melted chocolate (don't worry about lumps: they'll dissolve as it cooks).

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, whisking gently and/or scraping the sides as it heats up. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium, continue to stir, and let the pudding cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (1-2 minutes).

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer, pushing it through with a spatula if necessary. (This removes any little bits of cooked egg and/or unmelted chocolate.) Stir in the vanilla extract (and butter if you want to try it that way) and chill for about 3 hours if you want it chilled through. Or, if you can't wait, eat it warm, which is a great way to eat it. (Remember how Mom used to serve the cook and serve pudding that way? You actually get a richer flavor if you eat it warm.)

The recipe says to "press plastic wrap directly on the surface" to prevent a skin from forming, but if you're like me, the skin is half the charm.

Lick all the varous bowls, pans, spoons, and whisks used in cooking the pudding (or, if you're feeling particularly generous, share them with the kids), and, once it's reached your preferred temperature (or if you lose patience waiting for it to cool), eat it straight with the biggest spoon you can find or serve with a dollop of fresh whipping cream.

Variation: add a half teaspoon (or more) of ground cinammon to the dry ingredients. The family remains dubious, but I love the combination of cinammon and chocolate--it adds depth and interest. (I do the same with chocolate ice cream, gelato, etc.) If you're feeling really adventurous, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Oh yeah.