[1] Homemade chocolate pudding is a real treat. The easiest garnish is whipped cream. The recipe is below (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[2] It’s really easy to make this beautiful rose garnish (photo © Driscoll’s).

Here’s another special chocolate pudding recipe for National Chocolate Pudding Day, June 26th.

Created by Driscoll’s, growers of premium berries, the elegant strawberry roses are actually very easy to make.

Keep this recipe on file for anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and other special occasions.

Not to mention, National Chocolate Pudding Day is June 26th.

Here’s the history of pudding. It was created in Medieval Europe, inspired by an Arab recipe for rice pudding.

Chocolate didn’t arrive in Europe until the 16th century, so the first European cooked puddings used other flavors.

There’s no need to make instant pudding when it’s easy to make from-scratch chocolate pudding, which tastes so much better.

All you gain from instant is pre-measured dry ingredients: the cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, salt, plus powdered vanilla instead of liquid vanilla extract.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING
WITH A ROSE GARNISH

Ingredients For The Pudding

 
For The Rose Garnish

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pudding. Melt the chocolate. Whisk together 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch.

2. BRING the remaining 1-1/2 cups milk, sugar, cocoa and salt just to a simmer over medium heat. Stir the cornstarch mixture, then add to the milk mixture in pan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook 1 minute.

3. REMOVE from the heat and stir in melted chocolate and vanilla. Spoon into glasses. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Chill.

4. MAKE the roses. Hull 16 strawberries by removing the green calyx. Take 4 strawberries and cut the tops off. These strawberries will be used as the center for the roses. Slice the remaining strawberries into eighths. These sections will become the rose petals.

5. ARRANGE the sliced strawberries around the pudding, making sure the ends of the slices are facing out and extend slightly beyond the rim of the glass. After the first circle of strawberries is placed, begin making a second circle of strawberries but position slightly more forward toward the center of the glass. Continue with a third layer.

Once finished, add the cut strawberry to the center and garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

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June 26th is National Chocolate Pudding Day. Throughout history, “pudding” has meant different things (scroll down to the history of pudding).

This recipe, developed by chef Rocco di Spirito for FAGE Yogurt, combines the old and the new: a cake-like pudding with a soft, creamy pudding-like center.

Rocco says, “These are great for a dinner party, as they can be prepared and stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours in advance.”

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

RECIPE: BAKED HONEY CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Ingredients For 8 Servings

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Prepare eight ramekin dishes by thoroughly buttering the inside and dusting with flour. Place a disk of greaseproof paper in the bottom of each ramekin.

2. MELT the chocolate, honey from one FAGE Total Honey Yogurt (or 2 teaspoons honey) and butter together over a pan of water.

3. WHISK together sugar, egg yolks and eggs until the mixture forms soft peaks. Fold the chocolate mix into the egg mix, and then fold in the flour.

4. POUR into ramekins and bake in the center of the oven for 7 minutes, or until the puddings have risen above the ramekins. Allow to rest in a warm place for 2 minutes.

5. SERVE: Turn out onto the center of a plate with a generous spoonful of FAGE Total Yogurt (half of the yogurt in a FAGE Total with Honey split cup). Drizzle with the remaining honey.
 
Find more delicious recipes with yogurt at Fage.com.
  

[1] It’s not red, white and blue, but it has extra heat for a “firecracker” punch (both photos © Dietz & Watson).

[2] You can find cheddar cheese already blended with hot chile peppers, like this Jalapeno Cayenne Cheddar from Dietz & Watson.

Ingredients For 4 to 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F, and butter a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish.

2. BRING a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and toss in the ziti. Boil until just slightly firm (al dente), drain in a colander (do not rinse) and set aside momentarily.

3. MELT the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour to form a smooth paste (roux), and cook for about 1 minute. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil.

5. ADD the ziti to the cheese sauce, stirring gently to coat, and pour into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top evenly with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 minutes.

6. REMOVE the casserole from the oven and place under the broiler until bubbly and golden brown. Watch carefully to prevent the top from burning. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve hot.

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*You can substitute pimiento (roasted red peppers) for the peppadew, but the latter is tangier. You can use black pepper instead of white pepper; the difference is that black flecks will show in the recipe. White pepper was created (by removing the spicy black skin of peppercorns) for aesthetic reasons, that are no longer so important in current times. Black pepper delivers more heat.