Guest Author - Deborah Markus

Chocolate pudding has a bad reputation. It's never been a very grownup dessert, and now that it usually travels in factory-sealed plastic cups, any adult with a smidgen of good taste is going to turn, shuddering, away from it.

But when under the weather physically or emotionally, we all regress. We want to cuddle up with a blankie and eat something comforting that will bring us back to childhood.

Chocolate pudding can do just that, if you make it right. Those packages of brown powder that you whisk together with milk are oversweet and have a chemical aftertaste like the mousse in Rosemary's Baby.

The Jell-O brand kind you have to cook is a little better. It makes the house smell wonderful, and you get that pudding "skin" on the top (if you like -- if not, just lay some plastic wrap over the finished product while it's still warm).

But the best chocolate pudding is the kind you make from scratch.

The good news is, it's not hard. The bad news is, recipes are scarce. All of my chocolate specialty cookbooks are resolutely silent on the subject of chocolate pudding. They'll tell you how to incorporate chocolate into chili and chicken and even roast leg of lamb, but not pudding.

Of course any decent general cookbook, such as the red-check-covered Better Homes and Gardens compilation, will tell you how to make chocolate pudding. These recipes usually require grating chocolate, though. Not only is this tedious and messy, but you run into the problem of the chocolate refusing to melt and blend.

Unsweetened cocoa is the best source for chocolate in pudding. Hershey's brand is very good; Ghirardelli's is also excellent. Though Nestle makes fine chocolate chips, their cocoa leaves something to be desired. It's also the cheapest -- not usually a good sign with chocolate.

Along with the cocoa, assemble the following ingredients: sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, and milk. Never use nonfat milk in pudding! It has to be at least 2% milkfat content, or it won't thicken and set. Whole milk pudding is divine.

Measure a cup and a half of milk into a pot. Put it on the stove over low heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge. If the heat is low enough you shouldn't need to stir it. Don't let it boil or burn, though.

Meanwhile, stir together 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 4 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and some cocoa. Use at least 2 tablespoons -- up to 4, if you want a really rich chocolate flavor.

Stir half a cup of cold milk into these dry ingredients, and mix well. Stir this mixture into the scalded milk -- use a whisk if you've got one. Keep stirring and raise the heat to medium. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

Boil it for one minute, stirring or whisking the whole time. Remove from heat and let it cool in a bowl. Stir in a teaspoon or two of vanilla when it's lukewarm.

Enjoy this warm or cold, with heavy cream, whipped cream, or all by its lovely lonesome.