How About An Old-Fashion Chocolate Dessert Tonight - Easy Bittersweet Pudding, Sauce, Fudge Pie

Chocolate has been a favorite of almost all the world's populations over the years. Personally, I love all the modern chocolate but I love the old fashion chocolate recipes of my younger days,too. The next time you decide to make something chocolate, why not try one of these recipes from my vintage recipe collection? This decadent Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding is easy and good enough to impress guests. They will never guess the secret ingredient that brings out the pleasant bittersweet touch! Busy cooks can bring out a delicious dessert by serving this rich homemade Chocolate Sauce over a store purchased pound cake or some ice cream. It is also good with strawberries and other fruits. This Fudge Pie Alamode is unique without a crust.

EASY BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE PUDDING
Cola (I use COKE) takes the place of the milk in this pudding. It adds a pleasant bittersweet flavor. A great surprise for family and friends!

1 pkg (4-serving size) chocolate pudding mix (not instant!)
1 cup water
1 bottle (6 1/2-fl oz) cola beverage
whipped cream for garnish, if desired.

Combine the pudding mix, water, and cola in a saucepan. Cook while stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour evenly into 4 individual dessert dishes. Chill until set. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Note: You know this is an old recipe when the cola is called for in a 6 1/2 ounce bottle! You will probably have to measure out your cola today!

I am a diabetic now and can still make this pudding. Use a sugar-free pudding mix and I prefer a Coke Zero but Diet Coke would be okay, too.

GOOD OLD FASHION CHOCOLATE SAUCE
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 tall can of evaporated milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan mix the sugar and cocoa together. Stir in the water and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to boiling. Boil, while continuing to stir, for 3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the evaporated milk and the vanilla extract.

This pie is a recipe of my late mother's from the 1950s. My mother absolutely loved chocolate and would have made all our desserts chocolate except my dad tolerated it. That was the one area my parents could not agree on! I can remember how dad would come home after work and find a chocolate pie or cake. He would almost always ask if there was another dessert hidden somewhere. And there often was! Usually, when mom made a chocolate pie she would also make a lemon, my dad's favorite. I like this pie because I don't care for crust.

FUDGE PIE ALAMODE
3 sq. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teasp. salt
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1 pt. vanilla ice cream

Day before: Start heating oven to 350 degrees F. In double boiler, melt chocolate and butter, stirring. Cool slightly. Stir in sugar. In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in chocolate mixture, then nuts, salt, and vanilla. Pour into a well-greased 9" pie plate. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve topped with ice cream.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com/
For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

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Interesting Facts About Chocolate

Chocolate is a sweet which has an extraordinary taste and is loved by many. It is also available in various forms. Besides being edible, there are quite a few interesting chocolate facts.

Chocolate is derived by a process whereby cocoa beans are fermented, dried and ground. The cocoa trees have pods which bare 20-50 cocoa beans. Interesting is the fact that not all cocoa beans have the same taste. These trees grow predominantly in Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast where the climate is warm and moist.

Chocolate also played an interesting role in Aztec culture, where the name was derived from the word cacahuati, which means 'bitter water. Probably because the made a bitter brew from it by mixing the cocoa with chilies, cornmeal and hallucinating mushroom. The Aztecs also believed that cocoa beans were a source of wisdom and power to anyone who ate due to its origin in paradise. Cocoa beans were also used as a source of currency by the Aztecs..

To some such as Emperor Montezuma from Mexico and the Italian Giacomo Casanova, chocolate was believed to have aphrodisiac powers. In fact the emperor drank a glass of chocolate before going to his harem. It could have seemed that way as chocolate is known to contain some feel-good stimulates such as caffeine.

In humans chocolate is known to be a good source of energy is often used by athletes to restore carbohydrates after a sporting activity. Even though it is high in fat, chocolate does not raise blood cholesterol. Theobromine, a stimulant found in chocolate is able to increase low sugar levels in humans, but is highly toxic to dogs and cats. Chocolate does not cause headaches or acne as many believe, and very seldom causes an allergic reaction.

Cocoa butter, the fat extract from roasted cocoa beans can be used as a massage cream and to make white chocolate which is devoid of caffeine.

Economically, about 600 000 tons of cocoa beans is consumed each year has a revenue of $20 billion per annum.

This remarkable substance has even found its way into movies and the literature. It was used as blood in the movie the "Psycho" and appears in the novel by Roald Dahl as well as in the novel by Joanne Harris.

So besides enjoying chocolate as a tasty snack, I hope you were also able to enjoy some of the chocolate facts that we shared with you.

Get to know more on chocolate facts.

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