Hillcrest Valenova Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and ground
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
¾ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
¼ cup cocoa
¼ cup flour

Method:

1. Melt Chocolate on low in a double boiler. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Chocolate should begin to stiffen but not get hard). Pre-heat oven to 375F.

2. Using a mixer, whip egg whites until peaks form; remove from mixer and refrigerate.

3. Combine butter, sugar, hazelnuts and egg yolks in a mixer. Whip for 2 minutes.

4. In a separate bowl, combine cocoa and flour.

5. Using a fourth large bowl, combine ¼ melted chocolate, ¼ egg yolk mixture, ¼ whipped egg whites and ¼ flour mixture.

6. Stir gently by hand, repeating until all ingredients are in one bowl.

7. Grease 7 ramekins or stainless steel pudding cups. Fill each one ¾ of the way with pudding mixture.

8. Place cups in a water bath. (This can be done with a 13x9 cake pan; simply place ramekins in cake pan and add water to cake pan until the surface of the water reaches ¾ of an inch up the ramekins).

9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

10. Puddings should be stiff to touch but moist when cut into. They are excellent served warm with fresh strawberries.

Makes 7 puddings

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