Chocolate-Mint Pudding

Fresh mint leaves steep in fat-free milk to impart the herb's essence; the taste is much better than that of mint extract. Unless milk is stabilized with a thickener such as flour or cornstarch, it will "break," or curdle, when it becomes too hot; that's why it's important to go no higher than 180 degrees at the beginning of step one.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 3  cups  fat-free milk
• 1/2  cup  packed fresh mint leaves (about 1/2 ounce)
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  cornstarch
• 3  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 3  large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
• Mint sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Heat milk over medium-high heat in a small, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; add mint. Let stand 15 minutes; strain milk mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving milk. Discard solids. Return milk to pan; stir in sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. Return pan to medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk until mixture thickens.

Place egg yolks in a medium bowl; gradually add half of hot milk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add egg mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat; add vanilla and chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Pour pudding into a bowl; cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Chill. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

227 (25% from fat)

Fat:

6.4g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

6.7g

Carbohydrate:

39.4g

Fiber:

1.2g

Cholesterol:

105mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

106mg

Calcium:

173mg