I guess you could call this silky chocolate milk, or luscious liquid chocolate pudding. I remember it as a very special treat when I was a child. It is simple and delicious, and, served with some Italian cookies, it becomes dessert.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　4 cups whole milk

　　1/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　2/3 cup sugar

　　Peel of 1 orange, in thick strips

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1 cup cocoa powder

　　Toasted brioche or plain cookies, for serving

　　

Step 1

Bring the milk just to a simmer in a sloped-sided medium pot (so the pudding will not stick in the corners of the pot). Ladle about 1/2 cup of the milk into a small bowl, and whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Whisk the flour paste back into the hot milk until smooth. Add the sugar, orange peel, butter, vanilla, and salt, and bring back to a simmer.

　　

Step 2

Pour the cocoa powder into a medium bowl. While whisking, gradually pour about 1 cup of the hot milk into the cocoa. Whisk until smooth, then whisk the cocoa and milk back into the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer, whisking constantly, and making sure you get into the corners of the pot. Let simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a clean pot. Serve hot in bowls, with brioche or plain cookies for dipping.

　　Reprinted with permission from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.