Last summer when I was making ice cream nearly every week, I discovered that the base of the chocolate ice cream that my family and friends love is a wonderfully smooth and rich chocolate pudding. I grew up on boxed cooked pudding (Royal, I think--terrible-- but not as bad as instant), so this was a revelation. The liqueur (in this case Frangelico, or hazelnut liqueur), adds a wonderful nutty flavor, but you can leave it out or substitute with the liquor of your choice. This is not exactly nursery food--it's a little rich and sophisticated for that--but it is very chocolatey and comforting, if chocolate is your thing. I like the pudding with a few flakes of fleur de sel sprinkled on top. 2014 update: I made some modifications, and used the pudding (without liqueur) in a chocolate cream pie. And had a little pudding left over, so there's a new (better) photo.

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