Olivia Cavalli’s MajesticEarl Grey Chocolate Budino

Budino means pudding in Italian, which is more akin to the American style ‘pudding’ – a sweet, creamy, custardy dessert rather than the British interpretation of the word which is much broader. This is my chocolate budino, infused with AVANTCHA Majestic Earl Grey, a pair that seem like natural friends.

SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 600ml whole milk + more as needed
• 15g AVANTCHA Majestic Earl Grey loose leaf tea
• 40g corn flour
• 65g caster sugar
• 80g 70-75% dark chocolate
• 30g cocoa powder
• Mascarpone, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Start by infusing the milk. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add AVANTCHA Majestic Earl Grey. Heat on a medium flame until just coming to boil then immediately turn down to a low simmer for around 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it sit for a while – the longer it steeps the stronger the earl grey flavour will be. Strain the leaves from the milk through a sieve (I like to press down with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much flavour as possible) and discard the leaves. Measure the milk at this stage – it will have evaporated as it simmered so top it up as needed so that you have 500ml. Set aside. 
2. Fill a medium-sized saucepan with a few inches of water then find a heat-proof bowl that fits snugly on top without touching the water to make a bain-marie. Turn the heat to medium so the water heats up and bubbles gently. Pour the milk into the bowl and let the steam from the water below heat it gently.
3. Put the corn flour in a small bowl and, when the milk is warm, take a ladleful and pour it over the corn flour. Whisk together until no lumps remain. Set aside for later.
4. Put the sugar into the warm milk then break the chocolate up into small pieces and add that too. Whisk using a balloon whisk until the chocolate has melted smoothly. Add the cocoa powder and the reserved corn flour mixture, along with a pinch of salt. Whisk continuously for 10-15 minutes until it’s thickened into a velvety, smooth custard that coats the back of a wooden spoon. If you have any lumps, use a blender to give it a quick whizz until smooth.
5. You can serve the budino straight away while it’s warm or leave it to cool (this will give a thicker consistency) – to do this cover with cling film so that it touches the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin forming. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to eat.
6. To serve, spoon the budino into small serving bowls or glasses. I like to top with spoonfuls  of mascarpone, a pinch of flakey salt and a few of the yellow marigold petals from the earl grey mix.

Want to try out more Majestic Earl Grey recipes? Why not try our Majestic Earl Grey Mistress which can be made as a fruity cocktail or mocktail.

Want to get more content like this delivered straight to your inbox? Be sure to sign up for our emails. You’ll get 10% if it’s your first purchase, too, plus free shipping if