Creamy Chocolate Raspberry Summer Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup cream
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raspberries, divided
• 4 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
• 10 to 12 slices white bread
• Chocolate syrup or sauce to garnish

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat together 1/4 cup milk and the egg, then put it aside. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining milk, the cream, and the chocolate; stir until the chocolate has fully melted. Slowly whisk 1 cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook, stirring, until it just begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Do not let it boil. Take the pan off the heat, mix in the vanilla, and leave the sauce warm.
2. In a small bowl, crush 1 cup raspberries with a fork. Add the preserves and stir until the mixture is even, then set it aside. With a round cutter that matches the diameter of the mug or ramekin you’ll be filling, stamp out approximately 24 bread circles.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the warm chocolate sauce to the bottom of each mug. Lay a bread disc over it, then add 1 teaspoon raspberry mixture and 2 tablespoons of the chocolate sauce. Keep building the same pattern until the mugs are full, ending with chocolate sauce. Use the bread scraps too, tucking them in wherever they help fill the mugs.
4. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or, even better, overnight. When you’re ready to serve, eat straight from the mug, or slide a knife around the inside of each cup and invert it onto a plate. Finish with the remaining fresh raspberries and chocolate syrup.