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Butterscotch Pudding Tested Recipe
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Butterscotch Pudding gets its
wonderful butterscotch flavor from dark brown sugar and pure vanilla extract.
Puddings are one of the simple pleasures of life and while we often think of
them as nursery food or food for the sick, their rich flavor and creamy texture
seem to nurture us all. Unfortunately there is a trend for making puddings from
a box but I encourage you to try making your own. Homemade
butterscotch pudding tastes so much better than boxed and has the added advantage of not
containing preservatives or other ingredients that we cannot even pronounce.
This Butterscotch Pudding starts with simple ingredients, milk, eggs, dark brown sugar, cornstarch (corn
flour), butter, and vanilla extract. If you can, use "pure" vanilla extract,
organic milk, and eggs from vegetarian fed hens.
When you make this butterscotch pudding what you
are really doing is making a 'cooked' custard. There is only one real
difference between a pudding and a custard and that is cornstarch (corn
flour). Cornstarch is added to a cooked pudding so it becomes thick enough
to eat with a spoon. The important thing is that they have to be cooked
carefully as we do not want lumps or even worse, scorching. So keep the
heat fairly low and use a heavy bottomed saucepan, making sure that you
stir constantly with a large heatproof rubber spatula. When stirring it is
important to reach the bottom, sides and corners of the saucepan to
prevent the pudding from sticking and scorching. Once the pudding has
become thick, like mayonnaise, remove it from the heat and add the butter
and vanilla extract. Then strain the pudding to get rid of any lumps that
may have formed. If you like your pudding warm, then by all means eat it
right away. But if you like your pudding cold, simply press plastic wrap
onto the surface of the puddings and refrigerate until firm (a couple of
hours). For those who like a skin (film) on the top of their pudding, let
the pudding cool uncovered and then cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate. Of course, puddings always seem to taste better when there is
a large dollop of cream on the top, and maybe some chopped pecans or
chocolate shavings.
This recipe is one I adapted from Richard Sax's
cookbook "Classic Home Desserts" which is full not only of homey desserts but of
great advice and history.
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Butterscotch
Pudding: In a large stainless steel
(heatproof) bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. 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.
First, rinse a medium-sized
heavy saucepan
with cold water and then shake out the excess water. Doing this step prevents
the milk from scorching. Then pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of 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. 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). 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.
Pour into six 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.
Makes about 6 servings.
Adapted From:
Sax, Richard. 'Classic
Home Desserts'. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 1994.
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Butterscotch Pudding Recipe:
3 cups (720 ml) whole
(full fat) milk (preferably organic)
3/4 cup (160 grams) dark
brown
sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams)
cornstarch (corn flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg
yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons pure
vanilla extract
2 tablespoon (28 grams) unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
Garnish: Lightly sweetened
whipped cream
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