Chocolate coupes: chocolate pudding layered with whipped cream and crushed chocolate cookies

Put the chocolate and cold butter in a large bowl to receive the cooked pudding.

Whisk the brown sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and instant coffee together, breaking up any big lumps with the fingertips, until uniform.

Heat the milk and salt in the saucepan.

Only once the milk is heating, ideally near a simmer, stir the yolks and egg into the sugar-starch mixture; prolonged contact between eggs and sugar makes hardened bits of yolk.

Whisk vigorously a couple of minutes until paler, thick and falling in a ribbon from the whisk.

Turn off the milk when it reaches a simmer. Stream about two thirds of the hot milk into the eggs while whisking; return the rest to the heat and scrape the egg mixture into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the bottom, until the foam subsides and it holds the marks of the whisk.

Stop whisking a few seconds to see slow active bubbling, then whisk vigorously another 15 seconds so the cornstarch is fully activated, and take off the heat.

Pour into the bowl over the chocolate and butter, scraping the sides but not the curdled bottom. After about a minute, whisk until the chocolate blends in.

Whisk in the vanilla. Scrape into a lidded container with the cover touching the surface so no skin forms, and chill at least four hours until cold and set.

Crush the cookies in a bag to a mix of crumbs and small, medium and larger pieces.

Whip the cold cream in a large wide bowl with a hand mixer, starting low and increasing speed, to soft peaks. Sweeten a little for children if wanted.

Stir the set pudding to loosen and smooth it.

Divide about half the pudding among the glasses, about a third of a cup each, then about half the cream, then cookies; repeat the pudding and cream, and finish with a sprinkling of cookies.

Serve, or chill assembled up to a couple of hours before the cookies soften.