A tropical island-inspired, gluten-free dessert for Passover or any occasion! White chocolate pudding made with coconut milk and flavored with lime and ginger.
In December, I posted a Mexican Chocolate Pudding made with coconut milk – inspired by a recipe from Chicago chef Bill Kim – that was both gluten-free and vegan. I speculated that with the holidays approaching, families might be looking for special desserts that can accommodate a lot of dietary restrictions.
I was very proud of that recipe because I think it is important to demonstrate that accommodating dietary restrictions, such as food allergies, does not mean depriving anyone of delicious food.
With Passover right around the corner, I am once again thinking about desserts that are gluten-free and otherwise kosher for Passover. I am of the strong opinion that it is better to make a dessert for Passover that stays away from the whole flour-leavening paradigm than it is to try and make a decent kosher-for-Passover sponge cake using matzo meal and lots of whipped egg whites.
I mean, why do that to yourself and to your guests when there is a whole world of puddings, pavlovas, pots de creme, flourless chocolate cakes and other desserts that don’t need any modifications to be Pesadich?
The Mexican Chocolate Pudding I wrote about back in December would be a delightful way to end a Passover Seder especially because, in addition to being kosher for Passover, it is also dairy-free. In other words, it would be okay to serve it after a meat meal for those who keep kosher. But I also wanted to suggest another pudding recipe this Passover just for fun. So I decided to try to make a white chocolate version.
As it turns out, most white chocolate contains dairy, so this version of the pudding is not vegan despite the fact that I used coconut milk. Bummer. If it is important to you to make this recipe vegan or dairy-free, please either seek out dairy-free white chocolate or make your own. (Yes, it’s possible!) And try the recipe that way.
But enough about what this recipe isn’t, namely vegan. Let’s talk about what this recipe is. It is sinfully rich and creamy — a white chocolate lover’s dream with just a hint of tropical coconut flavor. In the bittersweet chocolate verison of this pudding, you really don’t taste the cocounut milk because the chocolate dominates. Here, by contrast, the white chocolate is so mild that the coconut flavor comes through. A bonus for coconut lovers!
In keeping with the tropical theme, I flavored the pudding with tart lime and spicy ginger. Doesn’t that sound like a combination you’d find in frozen tropical drink? Coconut, lime, ginger and white chocolate. Matches made in heaven, or at least on a tranquil Caribbean isle.
This recipe is shockingly easy to make, but there is one catch. You truly must plan ahead. The pudding takes several hours to firm up. If you are planning to serve it in the evening, such as at your Passover seder, I would not make it any later than that morning. But honestly, the night before would be even better.
What are you serving for dessert this Passover?
Ingredients
- 12 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids
- 3 cups (two 13 oz cans) unsweetened, full fat coconut milk
- 6 TB sugar
- Zest and juice of one lime
- 2 tsp ginger
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat the coconut milk, sugar, lime zest and juice, and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Gently bring mixture to a simmer whisking constantly to prevent scorching.
- Pour coconut milk mixture over the chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted.
- Cover and chill until pudding is set, 6-8 hours or overnight.
