Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. bourbon or Scotch whisky, optional
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving
- Chopped candied ginger, sliced almonds, Demerara syrup, shaved chocolate, cocoa nibs or flaky sea salt, or a combination, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Using a large heatproof bowl, put egg yolks, cornstarch and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- In a medium, pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter, whisking, until the brown sugar melts; 1 to 2 minutes.
- Let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to smell like hot caramel and darkens slightly; about 1 minute longer; don’t walk away, or the mixture may burn.
- Immediately pour the milk and cream into the pot; it will bubble fiercely and seize up.
- Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the clumps melt; 2 to 4 minutes.
- Slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking yolks until smooth; whisk in the remaining hot cream mixture.
- Pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
- Cook pudding, whisking constantly, especially around the bottom and edges of the pot, until it comes to a full boil; don’t worry about the eggs curdling as you will strain the mixture later.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring the mixture constantly, until it thickens enough to mound thickly on the spoon; 4 to 7 minutes.
- If at any point, the pudding looks curdled, whisk to help smooth it out.
- Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof container or bowl; stir in the Scotch or bourbon, if using, and vanilla.
- To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding; if you like the skin, don’t cover pudding until it cools.
- Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- When serving, spoon pudding into dishes.
- Top with dollops of whipped cream, sour cream, crème fraîche or any of the optional garnishes.
Notes
Make sure to bring the pudding to a full, vigorous boil to activate the cornstarch. Otherwise, it may not set. If you’ve ever ended up with thin, runny pudding, undercooking may have been the issue.
