Chocolate Pudding!

 (It is much more chocolate-y looking in "real life.")

This is based on Vanilla Pudding in The New Laurel's Kitchen, a great vegetarian cookbook I've had for years.  Since chocolate makes everything better, I made it a chocolate pudding, and worked around some things I was missing in the pantry.

• 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
• 1 egg
• 2 t rice flour
• 1t potato starch
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 t salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (I used Green & Black 80% cacao)
• 3 t cocoa

In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 t potato starch, and the egg and vanilla; reserve.  Pour 1 1/2 cups half-and-half and sugar into a saucepan and heat on medium until steaming, stirring frequently.  Add chocolate and whisk until mixed.  Add salt, then stir vigorously and mix in the reserved egg/half-and-half mixture. Continue heating until pudding thickens and makes "volcano" bubbles (I'm sure you'll know them when you see them).  Pour pudding into a bowl and refrigerate several hours to cool.  Makes 4 servings.