Non-dairy Acorn Chocolate pudding

This recipe, developed by Jed Wheeler of Manzanita Cooperative, is ideal for the lactose intolerant person in your life. It uses acorn milk instead of dairy and the slight hint of tannin and nuttiness of the acorn complements the chocolate beautifully.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups raw acorn milk (see our article on leaching acorn for instructions)

• 4 tablespoons acorn starch

• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1oz unsweetened 100% cocoa in bar or chip form

• 1oz unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2tsp of vanilla extract

• (Optional) A dash of cinnamon and a slightly larger dash of chipotle chili powder

Process

1. Place saucepan on very low heat and add cocoa to bottom of pan until it softens.

2. Add (in this order) acorn milk, starch, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Use a whisk to blend thoroughly.

3. Turn heat up to medium and slowly bring to a gentle boil, stirring every minute or so to avoid scorching.

4. Add the optional dash of cinnamon and chili powder

5. When mixture begins to thicken, give it a final stir and remove from heat, setting aside to cool.

6. Serve chilled