The Best Chef

Servings: 8

• 4 1/2 cups Milk
• 3 oz Unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 cup Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 ts Salt
• 2 ts Vanilla extract
• 2 cup Cookie crumbs*
• 1 Can cherry pie filling**

* Make cookie crumbs from vanilla wafers, shortbread, or chocolate chip cookies.
** This should be a 20 oz can - reduced-calorie if available.

1. Put 4 cups of the milk into a large, heavy saucepan. Add unsweetened chocolate (3 - 1 oz pieces). Heat over moderate heat, watching carefully, until bubbles form on milk around edges of pan - milk is then scalded. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Put cornstarch, sugar, salt and remaining 1/2 cup milk into a small bowl. Use a whisk to stir mixture until all dry ingredients are moistened and no lumps remain. Be sure mixture is well stirred just before adding to hot milk.
3. Using a wire shisk, stir hot milk mixture in saucepan while gradually adding cornstarch-milk mixture. Return saucepan to heat and cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spoon 1/3 of pudding into a 2 quart souffle dish or glass bowl. Top with 1/3 of cookie crumbs.
5. Set aside 1/2 cup cherry-pie filling.
6. Gently spoon half of remaining pie filling onto crumbs in bowl. Repeat layering with another third of chocolate pudding, crumbs, the remaining pie filling and the remaining chocolate pudding.
7. Spoon remaining cookie crumbs around chocolate pudding to form a border. Fill center with reserved 1/2 cup pie filling.
8. Refrigerate, covered, until pudding is well chilled. (5-6 hours)