Happy Valentine’s Day Week!
The last time my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day with the traditional fancy dinner out was 2006, just a few weeks after we started dating. I think we actually celebrated twice that year, once a few days in advance and once on the 14th. But since then, dealing with the crowds and pricey fixed menus and everything else that comes with going out to eat on Valentine’s Day hasn’t felt worth it.
So instead, we celebrate our dating anniversary, January 29, with a big night out, and stay in for a nice dinner at home come mid-February instead.
Since I’m the cook in our family, the menu for our Valentine’s Day dinner often comes down to me. Typically, I figure out the main dish (last year it was lasagna bolognese) weeks in advance, and choosing dessert takes considerably more time.
This year, though, the process seems to have flipped: I had two stellar ideas for dessert by the end of January, and I didn’t decide on dinner until a few days ago.
The first dessert I came up with is a blood orange pound cake topped with candied orange slices. The second was a white chocolate pudding made with strawberry jam.
The cake ended up winning out for this Saturday’s dessert, but only because Dan is more of a cake person than a pudding person (and I can’t decide which of these desserts I like better!).
But, the margins on that win were very, very narrow. Strawberry white chocolate pudding is fruity and creamy and perfect for showing your sweetheart how much you love them.
And I know that homemade pudding may sound intimidating, but it really doesn’t need to be. If you go with a cornstarch-based pudding, there is no messing with tempering egg yolks required!
Just melt the chocolate and strawberry jam with the milk, whisk in a cornstarch slurry, and pour it into bowls or ramekins to set. You’ll be done in ten or fifteen minutes, plus the setting time.
If you feel like mixing up the flavors even further, I’m sure this would be delicious with strawberry rhubarb jam as well!
White Chocolate Pudding with Strawberry Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Cornstarch
- 0.25 Granulated Sugar
- 2 White Chocolate Chips Or chopped white chocolate
- 2 Strawberry Jam
- Salt
- 1 Pure Vanilla Extract
- Sprinkles
- Shaved White Chocolate
- Whipped Cream
Instructions
- Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the half and half to create a slurry.
- Heat the rest of the half and half with the sugar, chocolate, jam and salt over medium-low heat. Stir often until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the hot chocolate. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pudding comes to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and whisk constantly for one minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the pudding into ramekins or small bowls. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cover each container with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the top of the pudding. This will prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill for at least four hours, or until the pudding has set.
- Garnish with sprinkles, whipped cream or shaved white chocolate (this is optional). Serve cold.