Butterscotch Pudding

  • Butterscotch Pudding

    Pudding can be a special thing when it’s not made from a box of questionable “pudding powder”.

    (Not that there’s anything wrong with Jello Instant Pudding.  My Mom served the butterscotch and chocolate flavors on a regular basis, two flavors I’d be hard-pressed to choose between.  Strangely, I enjoyed coming across a spoonful with a little bit of unmixed pudding grit, pudding “mix” that wasn’t quite whisked well enough.  Do you know what I mean?)

    I must confess: I made this recipe a couple of months ago, then promptly froze it in a Ziploc bag.  I finally got around to thawing it today, as I wanted something quick to give The Husband for lunch.  (For his lunch dessert, I mean- he didn’t eat butterscotch pudding for lunch.  That would be crazy.)  Anyhoo, I let the bag thaw on the counter and realized an hour or so later that there was a small rip in the bag.  Butterscotch pudding oozing on counter = gross.  Anyhoo #2: the pudding thawed (in the bag that I then had to transfer to a bowl) all runny and non-puddingy.  So I had to reheat it again and add a tad bit more tapioca starch to thicken it— all in the quest to serve a fast lunch dessert.  There was nothing fast about this lunch dessert.  Moral of the story: don’t freeze your butterscotch pudding.

    Adapted from David Liebovitz’s recipe…

    4 tablespoons butter
    1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    3 tablespoons tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
    2½ cups whole milk
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the dark brown sugar and salt, stirring until the sugar is incorporated.  Remove from heat.
    2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tapioca starch (or cornstarch) with about 1/4 cup of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the eggs.
    3. Gradually pour the remaining milk into the melted brown sugar/butter mixture (in the pan, but still off the heat), whisking constantly.  Whisk in the starch mixture.  Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently.  Once the pudding begins to bubble, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for one minute, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
    4. Remove pan from the heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour into 4-6 serving cups and chill thoroughly before serving.

    Tips:

    • No dark brown sugar?  You can use light instead- it just won’t taste as butterscotchy.  Maybe use a bit more vanilla for oomph.
    • Tapioca starch can so be subbed with cornstarch, if you don’t have it.  “They” say it imparts less of a flavor, but who knows.  I find both starches work interchangeably.
    • Whiskey was in the original recipe, and although it’s not unlike me to forego the booze (weird, I know), I did.  You can stir in a tablespoon or two at the end with the vanilla if you’re so inclined.
    • Cover the pudding with wrap while it’s chilling, unless you like the pudding skin.  (Some do- it’s what makes the world go round- the fact that some like skin and some don’t.)  Literally press the saran wrap into the pudding tops as they cool, okay?
    • Enjoy!

     

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    January 30th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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