How sweet it is: Pastry chef Megan Carraway’s Chocolate Budino is a simple-yet-sumptuous dessert that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.
by Cathy Martin | photographs by Remy Thurston
Megan Carraway knew she wanted to be a pastry chef from the time she worked at a bread bakery as a college student.
“That’s when I realized that this was it, that I wanted to keep being creative and hands-on every day,” Carraway says. At the time, the Irmo, South Carolina, native was studying art history at Winthrop University in Rock Hill.
But that passion for pastry led her to Charlotte, specifically Johnson & Wales University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and hospitality management.
CHOCOLATE BUDINO
serves 4-5
recipe by Megan Carraway
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup dark chocolate (I use Callebaut dark couverture)
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup milk
1/2 cup egg yolks (pasteurized egg yolks work well, to avoid separating eggs) - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- 1. Place chocolate in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- 2. Combine milk and cream in a saucepan and warm over medium heat.
- 3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.
- 4. When the dairy (milk and cream) begins to steam, temper the egg yolks by slowly whisking in 1 cup of the dairy. Then pour the egg/dairy mix back into the saucepan.
- 5. With a rubber spatula, stir the mixture constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat.
- 6. Pour over the chocolate, through a strainer or sieve to catch any bits of egg.
- 7. Add the olive oil to the bowl and whisk all together until smooth.
- 8. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap pressed flush to the surface and refrigerate until cool (3-4 hours).
- 9. Serve in small dishes with fresh berries, toasted or candied nuts, and whipped cream.
After several years working for a small restaurant group in Maine, Carraway eventually returned to the Queen City. Since November 2023, she’s been the pastry chef at Mama Ricotta’s and Little Mama’s, where she leads a small team making desserts for the three restaurants — including Little Mama’s newest location at Rea Farms — and collaborates with other FS Food Group chefs and owner Frank Scibelli on seasonal menu items.
The Nutella Pie, Tiramisu, Mama’s Giant Chocolate Cake and NY Style Cheesecake are mainstays at the uber-popular Italian and Italian-American spots. “Those are things that guests come back for — and have been coming back for — for years,” Carraway says.
Still, Carraway gets to whisk up new ideas through seasonal offerings and occasional dessert specials, which she makes in small batches.
Her Chocolate Budino — an Italian pudding — is an iteration of a dessert special she debuted last fall. “It’s a really good Valentine’s Day flavor profile,” Carraway says. “It’s custard-based, so it’s really rich and creamy.” Unlike American puddings, which are often thickened with cornstarch, Carraway’s recipe is made with egg yolks, along with Callebaut dark Belgian chocolate. “I add a little bit of salt and olive oil to cut the sweetness and round out the flavors.”
Served with candied pistachios, berries and whipped cream, it’s simple to prepare and perfect for sharing — but no one would blame you for finishing the bowl yourself. SP
