Butterscotch Pudding

Prep Time: 10 minutes                   Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60 mL) cornstarch
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) whole milk

3 large egg yolks, whisked

1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter
¾ cup (160 grams) hard-packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Whisk together the cornstarch, salt and whole milk in a large bowl. Ensure that the cornstarch is fully incorporated. Whisk in eggs yolks. Set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add brown sugar. Whisk until well incorporated. Cook the butter and sugar – it will be ‘grainy’ at first, but the sugar will soon melt, and the mixture will become more cohesive. Keep on whisking.   The butter and sugar need to be well mixed – smooth and fragrant.   Cook for about 3-5 minutes, constantly whisking … ensuring that it does not burn.
3. Slowly whisk in heavy cream (it may steam up a bit – be watchful).   Whisk and continue to cook. Some of the sugar may seize into little bits – these little bits will dissolve as you continue to cook. Whisk and cook until the mixture is smooth.
4. The cornstarch-milk-egg mixture needs to be tempered – – add some of the hot butterscotch liquid to the bowl. You will probably be adding most of the hot butterscotch in order to warm up the cornstarch-milk-egg mixture.
5. Add the warmed up cornstarch-milk-egg mixture to the saucepan. Continue to whisk and cook until mixture comes to a boil.   Boil (and whisk) for 2 minutes.
6. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla.
7. For the smoothest of pudding, strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl.   Directly cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap (preventing the pudding ‘skin’).
8. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour; refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
9. Serve topped with some sweetened whipped cream, topped with some turbinado sugar or some caramel bits (Skor bits).   Yum!

Questions and comments are always welcome     alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]