Butterscotch Pudding

Still dreaming about that butterscotch pudding we had at Bankers Hill...

I thought I would give it a go...

I checked out different recipes and decided to make the one below (by David Lebovitz) if only because I already had all of the main ingredients and also because it did not involve using a candy thermomter or putting it in a bain marie in the oven. No way, this is all on the stove top.

Butterscotch Pudding
4-6 servings

Adapted from Ripe For Dessert (HarperCollins)

4 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted (I used unsalted)
1 cup packed dark brown or cassonade sugar (I actually used light brown sugar and feel that it's probably the reason why it didn't come out the way I expected it to)
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2½ cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons whiskey (I used the Chivas that Mr. Saliva gave us for Christmas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and salt, then stir until the sugar is well-moistened. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk until smooth (there should be no visible pills of cornstarch), then whisk in the eggs.

3. Gradually pour the remaining milk into the melted brown sugar, whisking constantly, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture as well.

4. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for one minute, whisking non-stop, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of hot fudge sauce.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla. If slightly-curdled looking, blend as indicated above. (I ended up using the blender to get rid of unsightly lumps)

6. Pour into 4-6 serving glasses or custard cups and chill thoroughly, at least four hours, before serving.
(I chilled mine overnight)

My amber faceted thrift store goblets were doing dessert duty here. I crushed up a couple of Heath English toffee bars as topping for the pudding.

Everyone enjoyed the pudding. I was especially happy that Bert like it since he loves anything butterscotch. As for me, I'm still not a fan of soft desserts, but the crunchy toffee made it go down a little easier. If I had used the dark brown sugar, I'm sure this would have tasted better and the pudding might have a more caramelized look.

I will be making this again today with the dark brown sugar. Hoping it will be even better than this first effort...