Dessert: Red Velvet Pudding with Meringue Bones

Celebrate the spookiest night of the year with crunchy meringue "bones" dipped in creamy homemade red velvet pudding.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons red food coloring

Instructions

Make the pudding: In a large, heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt.
Gradually whisk in the milk, then whisk in the heavy cream and sour cream until combined.
Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking intermittently, until it comes to a boil. Boil until thick, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Whisk in the vanilla and red food coloring. Allow pudding to cool 5 minutes.
Refrigerate pudding, uncovered, for at least 2 hours until cold. (See Kelly's Notes.)
Make the meringue: Preheat the oven to 200 ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until they just hold soft peaks. With the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and continue to beat at high speed until the meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
Secure the parchment paper to the baking sheets with dabs of meringue.
Spoon a portion of the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch-wide tip and pipe bones about 1 inch apart. Add more meringue to the pastry bag and pipe more bones in the same manner on the other baking sheet.
Bake the bones in the oven, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking, until crisp but still white, about 2 hours.
Turn off the oven and cool the meringue bones in the oven for 1 hour, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
For serving: Portion the pudding into cups and serve with the meringue bones to use as spoons.