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Chocolate Carrageen Pudding

Sariann

Plants that welcome the stranger,
Sea-swept and driven astern,
Beloved by the wide-world ranger—
Seaweed, tussock, and fern. 

-Henry Lawson, 1910

Chocolate Carrageen Pudding

Our Thoughts:

Carrageen, or carraigín, is a wonderful foraged seaweed from the coasts of Ireland. Historically, it has been used as a binding agent in foods, as well as a clarifying agent in brewing. We order ours direct from foragers in Ireland, although it is available in most bulk herb sections, and in many home brewing stores.

The custard itself is interestingly savory, while still clearly a dessert. The carrageen adds a slight, unoffensive sea flavor that’s hard to place if one doesn’t know the secret ingredient. For those that enjoy a sweeter dessert, the sugar content can be increased, and other flavorings can be added as well.

Carrageen pudding has made more than one appearance at the dinner table in our house, equally suited to dinners for Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. A relatively quick and easy set pudding to make, it’s an winner in our books.

 Why it should be in the Next Book:

This pudding is a perfect dessert for GRRM to include in the next books. It’s use of seaweed as a binding agent, and just a bit of decadent cocoa powder for flavor makes it an ideal course to be served on the Fingers. We imagine Littlefinger enjoying a bite of it, having funded the import of the exotic flavorings, but still unable to shake his seaweedy origins. :)

Recipe for Chocolate Carrageen Pudding

Ingredients:

Soak the carrageen in warm water for 10 minutes, then strain and place in a saucepan with the milk. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the seaweed is exuding jelly. Pour milk through a sieve, and push as much of the carrageen jelly through as you can into the milk.
Add a small amount of milk to the cocoa powder and stir till it forms a paste. Add to the strained milk with the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and mix well. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks and gently fold into the custard. Pour the custard into serving dishes, and allow to set overnight in the refrigerator.

 

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