Another Fabulous Dessert

Dark chocolate isn't just delicious, it's also good for you (assuming you don't pig out on the stuff). I also really love chocolate with nuts, a marvelous flavor combo.
Here's an easy recipe for chocolate pudding that my friend and colleague Mary Ann Barnes devised and shared. It uses walnut oil for that chocolate/nuts thing.
She says it's so tasty that your guests (family, friends, or whoever) won't know that it's actually healthy, too.

Recipe: Guiltless Dark Chocolate Pudding

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 eggs, separated

¾ cup natural sugar, divided

1 24-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup walnut oil

2 tablespoons brandy

Berries for garnish

Instructions:

Beat egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar until light.   Whip egg whites with remaining ½ cup sugar until forms soft peaks. 

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in a medium bowl, stopping to stir frequently, about 1 ½ minutes.   Be careful not to burn.  Add walnut oil and stir until smooth.   Stir in brandy and egg yolk mixture.  Add chocolate mixture to egg whites and beat until smooth.

Divide into individual dishes and refrigerate until served.  Garnish with fresh berries. 

A salad with CHOCOLATE

Here's an unusual (& healthy) way to get more chocolate into our diet--not that we have too much trouble doing that. At Crippen's Restaurant in Blowing Rock NC, they served this salad with shaved chocolate on it. Mmm, mmm.

The salad included mixed greens, sliced strawberries, crumbled goat cheese, shaved Parmesan and toasted almonds with a black pepper-Dijon vinaigrette. And of course the chocolate topped it off.

Try this at home, and amaze your family and/or friends.