Spiced Chocolate Pudding with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Today is a difficult day. I had trouble deciding what to write last year - and trouble deciding what to write this year. While I try to keep things light around here, its impossible for me to let this day pass without acknowledgment. Ultimately, I will echo my words of last year ... I'd like to offer this post as my public prayer for peace in our world and peace in the hearts of those personally affected by the events of September 11, 2001.

I'd also like to offer you all a dish of pudding. Ellie Krieger's Dark Chocolate Mousse, to be exact. Not to be flip and not because it will change anything - I'm serving you pudding because, quite simply, its comforting.

You can find her recipe here, and while she refers to it as mousse, I find its texture to be more similar to pudding. I followed the recipe as written, with the exception of the chocolate. I used a dark chocolate bar that had been spiked with red chiles and the results were magnificent. Chocolate and chiles pair beautifully together and we really enjoyed the subtle hint of heat the chiles lent to the mix. Feel free to experiment with this one, using whichever flavor or special variety of chocolate you like. There are some wonderful lavender flecked chocolate bars on the market now, and they would be outstanding in this capacity as well. Ditto for any combination of chocolate and orange.

In keeping with the sort of Mexican feel of the spiced pudding, I opted to top it with some cinnamon whipped cream ... a match made in heaven.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

• 1/2 pint of heavy cream
• two or three dashes of ground cinnamon, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. agave nectar, or to taste

Whip the cream in bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the wire whisk attachment, on high until it just begins to hold soft peaks. Add two or three dashes of ground cinnamon and beat for 30 seconds or so. Add in some agave nectar, to taste, until the cream has been sweetened to your liking. Continue to whip until it just holds stiff peaks. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more cinnamon or agave if desired and mixing gently. Go slowly and do not over-mix.

Serve the chilled pudding with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream and enjoy.

Any excess whipped cream can be kept, covered tightly, the fridge for a day or two. It would be excellent when used as a garnish for any pie, crumble or crisp.

Oh, one more thing: that pudding ... its made with silken tofu. Don't let that scare you. The texture is divine and the flavor rich and satisfying. Use a dark chocolate of good quality and I promise you won't even know its tofu. Really.

Bon appetite!