About a year or so I go I began to notice a new dessert item on restaurant menus: butterscotch pudding.  This surprised me because I’ve always associated butterscotch with, well, the sunset dining crew.  The appearance of this humble item was intriguing , but not enough so to get me to order it.

Then I began to wonder–what exactly is butterscotch? Thus far, I’d only experienced it as the ocher colored hard candies “those” people gave out at Halloween.   Turns out, butterscotch is a couple of things.  In liquid form, it’s really just a type of caramel.  In a pudding, it’s synonymous with the flavor of brown sugar.

About a month ago TD asked if I would make butterscotch pudding  (probably subliminally cued by restaurant dessert menus).

So, I did.  And you know what?  It was pretty okay.  We added fresh berries this time around.   However, some chopped pecans and a rum sauce would also be delightful.

…now…if you don’t mind, I’m off to get it on the early bird special at Cocos.

Soundtrack

A little old school funk.

Butterscotch Pudding

borrowed from Joy of Baking who adapted from

Ingredients

3 C (720 ml) whole (full fat) milk 

3/4 C (160 grams) dark brown sugar

1/4 C (30 grams) cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

4 large egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 TBS (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

1. In a large stainless steel (heatproof) bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks.
2. Whisk in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk until you have a thick paste. Set aside while you heat the milk. Have ready a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl as you will need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.
3. Rinse a medium-sized heavy saucepan with cold water and then shake out the excess water. Doing this step prevents the milk from scorching.
4. Pour the remaining milk into the saucepan and bring just to a boil. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth.
5. Transfer the pudding mixture to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 2 minutes).
6. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
7. Pour into four bowls or wine glasses. The pudding can be served warm or if chilling, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm puddings to prevent a skin from forming. If you like the skin, simply leave the pudding uncovered until cooled, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The puddings can be made a day or two ahead of serving. Garnish each pudding with a large dollop of softly whipped cream.