Chocolate pudding

6 tbs granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 4-oz bars bitter sweet chocolate, broken up
4 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt to combine.  Slowly whisk in milk and cream.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat and continue cooking until mixture thickens (1-2 minutes.)  Remove saucepan from heat and add chocolate, butter, and vanilla.  Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is blended.  Scrape pudding into a bowl and press plastic wrap over the surface while it cools.  Refrigerate until chilled.

Milk chocolate pudding:  Follow recipe above, reducing sugar and cocoa powder to 3 tbs. each and substituting milk chocolate for the bittersweet.

White chocolate pudding:  follow recipe above, reducing sugar to 3 tbs and omitting cocoa powder.  Substitute white chocolate for bittersweet.

Creme Fraiche

I've often seen recipes that call for this but I didn't know what it was or if there was something I could use instead.  It was nice to see this recipe in a magazine because it gave a substitution to use in a pinch, but also a way to make it so you can have it on hand because apparently it's amazing stuff but it's expensive.  (And the substitution is only sour cream, which isn't as creamy and also curdles if it gets too hot.)

Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream
3 tbs. buttermilk

Pour cream into a clean glass jar with a tight lid.  Stir in buttermilk until well blended and cover jar. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.  (until cream has thickened.)  Store in fridge up to 2 weeks.

Clotted Cream

Yield:  about 1 c. clotted cream

Ingredients: 2 pints heavy cream, preferably with a high fat content and not ultra pasteurized (try to find Cedar Summit Farms or similar.)

Method: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Pour the cream into an oven safe pan or dish such that the cream rises one to three inches deep. Cover the pan or dish, and bake for eight to 12 hours, or until the cream has formed a thick, yellow skin. Cool the cream at room temperature, and then refrigerate it for eight hours. Skim the yellow clotted cream from the top and serve. You may use the cream that remains below for baking.  When you serve the clotted cream with your scones, split the scone, dollop the clotted cream on the scone and add a smaller dollop of jam (strawberry is traditional) on top.