Ross requested something in the pudding/custard family, and I decided to revisit butterscotch. About 2 months ago I made a butterscotch pudding recipe that was cooked on the stovetop, and used butterscotch chips. It was so cloyingly sweet and unappealingly textured that I actually had to throw it away and make something else. Vexed by my failure, I was definitely on the lookout for a butterscotch pudding recipe that opted to make the butterscotch flavor occur naturally, without the chips.

This is an adaptation of an older recipe from the NYTimes, which in turn was from the pastry chef of Craftbar. As the Craft empire of restaurants are some of my favorites in the whole world, I thought there was no way this could be terrible. To achieve the butterscotch flavor, you make a golden caramel and then mix in cream and milk. The recipe itself is not that difficult, but the cooking method involves a water bath and aluminum foil and as such is a little fiddly. No matter. The result is so comforting and creamy, and really effectively achieves a delicate balance of salty, sweet, cream, and caramel notes. Everyone loved it.
 
The original recipe was actually called pudding, but the cooking method and the end result is much more of a pot de creme in my opinion. It also suggested you serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche, but it doesn't need it.




Butterscotch Pot de Creme
This will make 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, salt, and vanilla together. Set aside.
• In a medium pan, warm milk, cream and brown sugar just enough to dissolve brown sugar. Turn off heat.
• In a thick deep pan, mix together white sugar and 1/4 cup water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Monitor closely, swirling pan occasionally so sugar cooks evenly.
• When sugar is a very light golden caramel, turn off the heat. Carefully pour about a cup of the milk mixture into the caramel and whisk in. Take care as it will bubble up violently. Stir until smooth. and add back into rest of milk. If there are still hard caramel bits, return pan to low heat and stir until all are smooth and melted.
• Carefully pour about a cup of the milk mixture into the eggs while whisking to temper them. When combined, pour all of hot milk mixture into yolks in a slow stream while whisking.
• Strain mixture into large measuring cup or bowl with a pouring spout.
• Pour custard into 8 crème brûlée dishes or ramekins. Place dishes in a large baking dish (you might need 2) and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of dishes.
• Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then lift up aluminum foil to let out some steam. Be extremely careful and wear oven mitts because the steam can easily burn your fingers.
• Reseal pan, turn it 180 degrees and continue baking, checking every 10 minutes. Pudding is done when sides are set but center is still wobbly when you shake dish, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• When the cups are cool enough to handle, remove from water bath and let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.