I wish I could tell you this was the last no-bake dessert you’d see from me in the near future, but that would be a big lie. I am back on the solid food train as of a week ago, but I’ve got a backlog of recipes to share with you. The truth is, I really did not expect all of my puddings and mousses and soups to be exciting and delicious- but they were, and I would be doing you all a real disservice if I didn’t share. So brace yourself for some more recipes for the toothless!
Butterscotch pudding has a big nostalgia factor for me. Also, apparently, for my mom, who conceded that she also loved it as a child, when I told her what I was up to. The one I think a lot of us grew up on was Jell-O brand, and boy was it good. Sweet, silky and just a little bit burnt-tasting, it was like eating spoonfuls of liquid toffee.
This butterscotch pudding is also sweet, silky and a little burnt-tasting, but it’s also a little bit more grown up. It has, for example, a little bit of bourbon in it. Not enough to taste like alcohol, but just enough to add a hint of spice to the mix. It’s also served with a dollop of creme fraiche (somehow the real hero of the liquid diet- I drizzled it on everything from dessert to soup regularly) that adds a nice bit of bite and acid to an otherwise homogeneous, sweet recipe. Not that there’s anything wrong with homogeneous, sweet recipes! I love those too.
There’s also nothing wrong with making the pudding from the Jell-O box. It’s certainly not beneath me. But you should know that making butterscotch pudding yourself is super easy. This recipe calls for cornstarch as a thickener, which I don’t always love in pudding (I feel like you can sometimes detect its taste/texture), but in this pudding it really works well to create a thick, silky texture.
One thing I can say with gratitude about the ordeal of eating liquids for a month is that I’ve learned so much about different variations on puddings and mousses- different thickeners, different custard bases, different ways to get air into a mass of chocolate and egg yolks. I never made any of these desserts with much frequency before, and it’s certainly been an education. I look forward to sharing some of my findings!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- ¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or Scotch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- Crème fraîche and crushed gingersnap cookies (for serving; optional)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is starting to dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add cream, milk, bourbon, and salt; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Wipe out saucepan. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until custard bubbles occasionally and starts to thicken, 5–6 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a blender. Blend briefly on low speed until smooth. Place ramekins or bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide custard evenly among ramekins and chill until set, at least 3 hours.
- Top each pudding with crème fraîche and crushed gingersnaps, if desired.Top each pudding with crème fraîche and crushed gingersnaps, if desired.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2018/02/08/bourbon-butterscotch-pudding/
