Chocolate Pudding with Peanut Butter Mousse and Maple Candied Bacon

For the pudding:
Place milk, sugar and salt in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom until warm. In a bowl, whisk together cornstarch and some of the warm milk. Make sure there are no clumps, then add mixture to the rest of the milk. Continue to stir until it starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon (about 10 minutes). Stir in chocolate chips. Combine to stir until well combined and thick (maybe another 5 minutes). Transfer to small bowls. Refrigerate until cool.

For the peanut butter mousse:
In a bowl, beat heavy cream until firm. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together peanut butter and condensed milk until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate 1/2 hour.

For the bacon:
Place bacon in a bowl with maple syrup, toss to coat. Heat a frying pan to medium heat. Add bacon, cook until crisp. Lay cooked bacon on paper towels. Allow to cool completely and chop.

To assemble:
Using a piping bag or a Ziploc bag, pipe some peanut butter mousse over the chocolate pudding. Sprinkle with pieces of bacon. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings (or many more in tiny shot glasses).

Note: If you’re not ready to serve it yet, pipe the peanut butter mousse over the pudding and refrigerate. About 15 minutes before serving, remove from the fridge then sprinkle with bacon when ready to serve.

Recipe for pudding adapted from John Scharffenberger, via Smitten Kitchen.