Mouth Surgery Day One - Licking the Pudding Bowl Clean

Somewhat early this morning Shane drove me to the Periodontist for a procedure that I tried to put out of my head all this week, yet the details of my surgery still wove their way into my every day dream. I was not looking forward to my gum tissue grafting. A very nice person, unbeknownst to him (or her), lovingly donated tissue from his (her) palate, and I am now the proud owner of not only my gums, but gums from someone who obviously isn't in dire need of chewing.

I emerged from surgery with a lower lip worthy of four Botox treatments, instructions in hand reminding me to only eat soft foods such as eggs, cottage cheese and tuna -- talk about the ultimate Hollywood treatment.

Six hours after my surgery I'm on a pudding mission. Because I can only eat soft foods for a good two or three weeks (oy, no meaty mussels, crunchy chef salads, toasted walnuts next to my runny, runny cheese. . .), after my first meal of softly poached eggs over cooked and mashed Christmas Lima Beans from Rancho Gordo, all lightly seasoned with garlic and rosemary infused olive oil, I wanted something chocolate. Let me clarify: I wanted the taste of something chocolate, and nothing is more fun than to lick the dregs that cling to the cooking utensils and pot. But because it takes me about a minute to figure out how to eat by strictly swallowing and not allowing my tongue to play with my food as I am wont to do, I have allowed the pudding remains to crust and cling to the bottom of my stainless steel pot. :( And now they're too chewy to eat. Chewing is bad, and I should know because in one mechanical motion, I attempted to chew an egg white.

So in my fridge cools the real chocolate pudding -- the one that will slide down my throat without my first squishing it flat against the roof of my mouth and through my teeth with my all-too-curious tongue.

And even if one does not have the excuse I do to eat one's weight in mashed potatoes, milkshakes, and pudding, here is the dark chocolate pudding recipe that I fiddled with a bit to make it more chocolaty and less sugary because, did I mention, I cannot brush my surgical area for, oh, 2 or 3 weeks?

Dark Chocolate Pudding
Serves 4

Ingredients
Scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk - 2 percent or whole
1 large egg
4 ounces bitter-sweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped

Crack egg into a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Whisk to combine, and add milk, gradually, continuing to whisk. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking the entire time. Once mixture starts boiling, lower heat, and continue whisking (just keep your arm in constant motion, no matter what) until pudding thickens, 3 minutes or so.

Once mixture thickens, whisk the egg that in hanging out in the heat proof bowl. Pour the pudding mixture into the bowl, and whisk vigorously until the all is combined. Whisk chopped chocolate into the pudding mixture. Knowing that part of the egg slightly scrambled as the hot pudding mixture was poured over, in another bowl or back into the pot, sieve the pudding through a fine mesh strainer. This step is as much as a pain as reading the word "whisk" so many times in a recipe, yet it will yield a silky finish to the pudding, as will whisking off your wrist. Besides, this will give you the cook more utensils to lick as everyone else has to wait until the pudding cools and sets. From here, either spoon the pudding into six 4 ounce ramekins or just leave it be in a big bowl or pot, cover (ramekins individually with cling wrap, bowl with whatever), and pop the container(s) into the fridge for a few hours to chill. If so desired, to avoid the pudding skin, try pressing cling wrap onto the surface of the pudding. I do not often do this, as I do not mind the pudding skin.

Once chilled, serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream and/or fresh raspberries (which I cannot eat right now as I have to avoid things with seeds -- strawberry jam, blueberries, bread/cereal made with whole flax seeds. . .).

I'm going back to the couch and putting a cold pack on my jaw.