combine cocoa, brown sugar and chocolate in a heavy bottom sauce
pan. Add 1/4 cup milk to cornstarch and blend, set aside. Add remaining
3.75 cups milk into chocolate mixture with spit vanilla bean and heat
over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally.
Add milk/cornstarch mixture and stir - heat 6 - 8 mins. until mixture begins
to thicken. Add a Tbs of hot chocolate mixture to beaten eggs, and stir
to warm eggs. Add egg mixture to chocolate mixture and cook over medium heat for
2-4 mins stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat
and pour into 6-8 ramekins, remove vanilla bean. Place wax or plastic
paper directly on surface of puddings to prohibit a film from forming
and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream and garnish
with fresh mint if desired