smitten kitchen

luxe butterscotch pudding

March 02, 2018


This pudding, without any flourishes on top, is something I hope you find perfect, more luxurious and more intensely butterscotchy than

the simple cornstarch-thickened butterscotch pudding I shared a few years ago

. But, if you’d like to doll it up, a great dollop of whipped cream (barely sweetened and a little tangy, please) and/or a puddle of salted caramel, Mozza-style, on top are sure wins. Further ways to amp it up: You can brown that butter before you add it at the end, and you can use some scrapings from a vanilla bean (no need to sacrifice a whole one; 1/4 of a bean will take you far here) in the milk portion too (giving it a chance to warm in the pudding vs. adding it at the end will help the flavor infuse).

Let’s talk about sugar: Classic butterscotch pudding is very sweet. Popular recipes on major food sites use up to 1/2 cup brown sugar per cup of milk or cream. I find 2/3 cup total for this recipe to be sweet but not excessive, but do know it works with up to 3/4 cup brown sugar, if you want a more classic butterscotch intensity. If you plan to put caramel on top, or if know you like your butterscotch pudding more mild, use only 1/2 cup brown sugar a smidge less salt. Finally, do note that the color comes from the brown sugar caramel: the less sugar you use, the more pale that pudding will be, which is fine, but just note it will not look like the pictures.

The caramel sauce makes a scant cup. It’s more than you’ll need. I have no idea what you’ll do with the rest; probably it will go to waste. At Mozza, Nancy Silverton heats the cream used for the caramel with a quart of 1/4 of a vanilla bean before adding it to the sauce. I did it once this way, the second time used vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar, and the third time, skipped it altogether. Salted caramel, in my opinion, tastes good enough without it.

  • Pudding
  • 2/3 cup (125 grams) dark brown sugar [see Note]
  • 2/3 teaspoon (or a heaped 1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
  • 1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (235 ml) milk (whole or lowfat work here)
  • 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons rum (optional)
  • Salted Caramel (optional)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) salted or unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
  • Flaky sea salt, to taste
  • To finish
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Sugar, to taste, if desired
  • 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)
Make the pudding:

Stir the brown sugar, water, and salt together in the bottom of a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat on to medium-high and cook the mixture

without stirring

until it’s dark brown and smells caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the cream (it’s going to hiss and bubble dramatically), then milk. The butterscotch is going to firm up when the cooler cream/milk hits it, but bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring all the way into the corners, and the butterscotch will liquefy again.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch. Very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of the butterscotch mixture, whisking the whole time. The bowl should feel warm, but if it does not, keep drizzling in butterscotch and whisking until it does, then whisk this back into the mixture still in the saucepan. Return the saucepan to the stove over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a bloopy, slow simmer. Whisk it, simmering, for 1 to 2 minutes; it should thicken fast.

Remove pot from heat, whisk in butter until it melts, then rum, if using, and vanilla — you can start with 1 teaspoon and add the second if you want a stronger flavor.

Pour pudding into 6 small cups (I use these glasses) and chill in fridge until fully cool and set, a few hours or overnight. If you’d like to prevent a pudding skin on top, cover the glasses tightly with plastic.

Make the salted caramel, if using it: Once the puddings are mostly cool and set, you can make the salted caramel. Combine the sugar and water in the bottom of a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, then turn heat on stove to medium-high and cook without stirring (but you can gently tip the pan to gauge color) until the sugar takes on an amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully whisk butter, then cream, into the caramel (it’s going to hiss and bubble dramatically, too). If the caramel firms, you can return it to stove to gently heat it until it melts again, but I didn’t find this necessary. Add salt to taste. Let caramel cool a bit, then spoon some onto the top of each pudding and let them finish cooling.

To serve: Beat cream and 1 teaspoon sugar, if desired, until it holds very soft peaks, then beat in creme fraiche or sour cream, if desired, which should finish thickening the cream, but if it does not, gently beat for another minute until soft peaks form. Dollop some on each pudding dish and eat immediately.

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