Years ago, my sister took Mom to a posh kitchen and bath shop. Later that night, I got a phone call, expecting to hear about all the fancy sinks, faucets, cabinets, but, instead, all I heard about was the butterscotch pudding they ate. It turns out the shop had a chef in the shop offering guests something delicious pudding.  (I know, ooh la laaa) He told my sister he uses butterscotch chips in his recipe, but said no more.

The process of making this decadent treat is quite easy, much like lemon curd. The only danger is burning the sugar, but that’ll only happen if you’re not paying attention. So, with a little patience, you can enjoy it for dessert tonight.

Butterscotch Pudding

Serves: 8
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Chill: 1 hr

Ingredients
4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 free-range egg yolks, room temp (save whites)
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions
Warm cream over a very low flame.

Measure about 2 Tb sugar into a small bowl.
Place a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add butter and sugar to the pan.

Keep a close watch on the sugar and butter as they melt.
Once the edges start to darken, things will go quickly.
Swirl the pan to heat the mixture more evenly.
Be careful to not burn the caramel.

Heat it just until the sugar liquifies and turns a deep amber color, ~ 5 mins.
At this point, very slowly drizzle the cream into the caramel, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk egg and the 2 Tb sugar till a bit fluffy.

Very slowly drizzle the hot cream mixture a bit at a time into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.

Transfer the mixture back into the pan over medium-high heat.
Stir until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Use a strainer to pour the pudding into a big bowl or 8 individual heatproof cups/ramekins/bowls.
Chill in the fridge until set, at least 1 hr.
Sprinkle a bit of coarse sea salt on top and serve with fresh berries.

Evil Thoughts

Do you ever look at a jar of caramel sauce and want to polish the whole thing off with a spoon? Well, you won’t lose your halo over this butterscotch pudding.

It’s luscious, creamy, sinfully caramelly, but it’s pudding, so technically you can take a spoon to a whole bowl of the stuff.

The best part is that it is made completely from scratch using items you already have on hand. There are absolutely no shortcuts like store-bought butterscotch chips, so the flavor is sheer perfection.

This little sweetie can be made a day early and stored in the fridge until your guests arrive.

You’d better make an extra batch, though, because you probably won’t be able to resist pigging out on some of it.