entertaining by the bay

casual cooking and living

Bourbon Butterscotch Pudding
Recipe by Allison Roman, Published in Bon Appetit, March 2013

Ingredients

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon bourbon or Scotch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
3 tablespoon sugar
Crème fraîche and crushed gingersnap cookies (for serving; optional)

Directions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is starting to dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add cream, milk, bourbon, and salt; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Wipe out saucepan. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until custard bubbles occasionally and starts to thicken, 5–6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender. Blend briefly on low speed until smooth. Place ramekins or bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide custard evenly among ramekins and chill until set, at least 3 hours. Top with creme fraiche and crushed cookies to serve.