Recipe Review: Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding.
Today, I had the pleasure of reviewing a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. After much deliberation, I decided to try the Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding. Let me tell you, it was not only delicious but also incredibly straightforward to make, as I’ll explain below.
As someone who often struggles to find the time to create desserts that are both vegan and gluten-free, this recipe was a game-changer. It’s quick, easy, and doesn’t leave me with a mountain of dishes to clean up afterward. The balance of spices is perfect, and the tofu provides a wonderfully smooth and fluffy texture that melts in your mouth.
Now the thing that struck me first was the fact that the ingredients were so simple to gather. One quick to the nearest grocery store and I immediately had everything I needed. Plus, it only took 6 ingredients (not including the water but including making your own simple syrup.) This is quite nice for people who need a quick but impressive dessert that doesn’t involve a lot of fancy, hard-to-acquire ingredients. This is extremely useful if you have an impromptu dinner party and don’t have a quick yet fancy dessert.
But with all my praise, I will have to point out something that I think might be an area of misunderstanding for newer home cooks, that is the fact that it states melted chocolate in the ingredients but doesn’t offer specific ways to melt it. Which, in my opinion is quite an important part of the recipe because it’s the easiest to mess up as processed wrong or for too long, the chocolate can burn, crystalize, and even start to separate. Which would change the entire taste and texture of the recipe, and that would be disappointing, and most people I’ve met would not know why it went wrong. Now, don’t worry, I will tell you the best way to melt it for this recipe and one other way just for fun or if you don’t have the appliance for the first one.
The best (quickest) way I found is using a glass bowl, filling it with chocolate, and putting it in the microwave. Then, place it on short cycles of 30 seconds for a minute and a half mixing it in between each cycle. Now, before you start to worry when you pull it out, worry not there are supposed to be a few chips that will melt even after you take it out, thanks to the heat of the rest of the dish. Now, the second way, which takes a little bit longer but is also useful to know, is the double burner method, in which you take a pot of water and a metal or glass bowl and put them both on the stove on medium heat. Then, you will put all of your chocolate in the glass bowl. Then, when it starts to melt around the edges, you will carefully stir it, keeping an eye on it until it is fully melted.
Aside from that, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, written in a way that both home cooks and professional chefs can understand. One feature I particularly appreciate about this cookbook is that it lists simple syrup as an ingredient but also provides instructions on how to make it yourself. Plus, it includes 12 variations to add subtle flavors to your simple syrup, which is a nice touch.
Now, after making the base recipe, I decided to put my own spin on one of the variations suggested in the book. Creating a spicy ginger orange version with chili. It turned out absolutely divine. Which is another thing I find so cool about this recipe is that you can add almost anything to the simple syrup while making it, and you can have an entirely new and special to you dessert. Some delicious variants I would recommend when you have made the ones he has are lemon, maple, raspberry, and butterscotch. These are all flavors I think would pair amazingly with the dark chocolate, or you can go crazy and use a vegan milk chocolate for a lighter, less intense chocolate taste that you can pair with lighter flavors like violet or lavender
Overall, this recipe is a keeper, and I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a delightful dessert that combines rich flavors with a smooth, creamy texture, making it a perfect treat for any occasion.
Now for those of you who want his book I have linked it here, it is the third in his how to cook everything series and I highly recommend it.
Now go forth and make delicious dessert darlings.
