Valencia Orange Pudding Over Chocolate Graham Crust and Cocoa Cream Mousse

This dessert has the distinct taste of those fun Orange Stix. Remember? It was the orange gumdrop filling and dipped in the chocolate? But this is so grown up and has a more sophisticated flavor profile! You could add a tiny bit of Grand Marnier to the liquid after you take it off the heat but be careful not to thin it too much.

Serve 6
Prep time: 25-30 minutes (Then cool for 20 minutes or overnight)
Cook time: 10

Pudding:

1 ½ C white sugar
2 ½ t cornstarch
1 ¼ C water
½ C less 1 T fresh squeezed Valencia orange juice or other sweet orange
1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t salt (plus more at end for zing!)
3 egg yolks blended
Zest from one whole orange
3 T butter

Crust:

6 whole regular graham crackers, ground coarsely (I put them in a zip lock bag and crush with rolling pin)
1 T honey
¼ C white sugar
½ t vanilla
Heaping T of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 – 4 T of melted butter to bend

Cream/Mousse:

1 C heavy cream
1 t vanilla
3 heaping T powdered sugar
1 heaping T unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

• Blend all crust ingredients. Press mixture evenly in 6 ramekins. Press down with the bottom of a ¼ C measuring cup so that there’s a recession in the crust and parts of it stick up a bit around the inside of the dish.
• In a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Whisk constantly on high heat until boiling and then stir while boiling for 1 minute. Take off heat. Take a few spoonfuls and add to the eggs and whisk quickly. Then a few more spoonfuls until you’ve added about ½ C of the hot liquid to the eggs and tempered them. DO NOT add hot liquid all at once or dump the eggs into the hot liquid. They will lump and cook all at once. YUK! Once you’ve tempered the eggs, then pour the eggs in a thin stream back into the pan liquid, whisking briskly the whole time. Return to the high heat and then boil for another minute. Remove from heat, add the juice, zest, butter and whisk, and a bit more of the salt until the super-sweetness is balanced. I added a little less than a ½ tsp salt to make it right. Let it cool for about 20 minutes. Then pour into the ramekins. I had a bit leftover. It was more about making the dessert look right than using it all, and its fun to have some leftover to dig your spoon into while you finish the rest of your meal. Right? Then you can let sit until cool, or cover and put in the fridge overnight. Although I think serving them slightly warm is the BEST way.
• For the topping, whip the cream to thick, but not stiff. Add the vanilla, cocoa, sugar and whip until stiff peaks. Place in a baggie, snip off the bottom, and pipe onto the dessert. Serve with lengths of orange zest and a small chocolate wafer cookie of your choice!