New York Times Butterscotch Pudding

My friend Marianne forwarded  me a recipe for Butterscotch Pudding printed in  The New York Times, and although I never fancied myself a great lover of butterscotch, I am a push-over for pictures of food.  Having made many puddings previously, most of the process is the same here except for making the caramel which serves as the base for the pudding. This step does add extra time but the results are worth the effort.
                                                            

This is my finished product. The ganache is darker than the original recipe pictured below.

                                                          


Because I personally  understand no reason to ever eat  milk chocolate, I changed the ganache using  semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

I found the pudding to be super creamy and if possible even light, which is not a word I usually equate with pudding.

I really like the presentation and feel it would be an appropriate “company dinner” dessert.

Picture courtesy of The New York Times

Pizzeria Locale’s Butterscotch Budino ( from the New York Times)

Time: 30 minutes plus chilling

Yield: 8 servings

For the pudding:

3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups milk

150 grams dark brown sugar (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)

5 grams fine sea salt (3/4 teaspoon)

4 large egg yolks

1 large egg

12 grams cornstarch (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the ganache:

1/4 cup heavy cream

70 grams chopped milk chocolate (2.5 ounces)

Whipped cream, for serving

1. Make the pudding: In a small pot, bring 3 cups cream and milk to a simmer. Cover to keep warm.

2. In a medium pot, bring brown sugar, 1/3 cup water and salt to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to keep mixture from scorching, until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. The mixture should be a deep brown color and smell nutty and caramelized.

3. Immediately whisk cream mixture into brown sugar to stop the cooking. The mixture will seize. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until smooth.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg and cornstarch. Pour a ladleful of hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. Pour egg mixture into the pot with the cream, whisking more. Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until thickened. It’s O.K. if the mixture comes to a simmer.

5. Strain mixture into a bowl or large glass measuring cup with a spout and whisk in butter until smooth. Divide among 8 serving dishes and chill for at least 4 hours until custards are set.

6. Make the ganache: In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Add chocolate and stir constantly over very low heat until just melted. Strain into a glass measuring cup with a spout.

7. Pour a thin layer of ganache over the tops of the custards. You may not use all of the ganache depending on how wide your serving dishes are. Chill for at least 4 more hours to set the ganache. Serve with whipped cream on top.