Tuesdays With Dorie
It's my turn! I can hardly believe it! When I joined Tuesdays With Dorie back in March, I was #76. Over the past nine months, I've moved up the list to #44! Bakers come and bakers go. Some made it, others had to let it go. It's been quite a commitment - baking every week - and since I started, I've finished almost 40 of Dorie Greenspan's recipes from her book, Baking:From My Home To Yours. I've missed a few, like ice cream recipes and a few recipes I didn't have the right pans for. All-in-all, it's been quite a ride!
My Turn! My Turn!
So, now it's my turn! I asked John what I should pick. After 50 recipes, we've made quite a dent in Dorie's recipes. It took some doing, and I was so torn over 3 different desserts. I picked out Bourbon Bread Pudding, and I told Laurie to put me down for that. But after some serious soul searching, I kept coming back to Real Butterscotch Pudding. (This recipe can be found on page 386 in Baking: From My Home To Yours.) The real reason I wanted to make Butterscotch Pudding was to make a Butterscotch Cream Pie! I loved Dorie's Chocolate Cream Pie, so I was determined to do a pie with Butterscotch this time!
Real Butterscotch Pudding with Real Scotch Whiskey
There was some concern over using real Scotch whisky in this recipe, but there's no reason you need to add it if you don't want to. I used Crown Royal whiskey for the Scotch and an extra Tablespoon of Buttershots liqueur. I gotta tell you, this was one of the tastiest puddings I ever made from scratch!
Butterscotch Cream Pie
I might have made this Butterscotch Cream Pie with my own Flaky Pie Crust, but I really thought a Graham Cracker Crust (see below) would make this pie special. I don't have a big food processor and after all the horror stories people had with the Chocolate Pudding, I knew I was gonna make this pudding the traditional way - with a whisk and a hand-held mixer. Because I have a really large Pampered Chef pie dish, I had to double the pudding recipe. It worked fine and made plenty, enough to even have a few little dishes for a tasty sample!
So, I made the graham cracker crust, baked it for 20 minutes, let it cool and then filled it with warm butterscotch pudding. When the pie was totally chilled, I whipped up some fresh whipped cream and piped it onto the pie. That's it! That's all I did to make it a fancier dessert than plain old pudding, not that there's anything wrong with a dish of scrumptious pudding!
Real Butterscotch Pudding Recipe
Taken from Dorie Greenspan's book Baking: From My Home To Yours (page 386)
Dorie says, "Here's the real deal--butterscotch pudding made with real butter and real Scotch whisky. It is, as all good puddings must be, smooth, creamy and comforting, but it's also got a little kick, making it anything but a nursery sweet."
- 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Scotch whiskey (preferably a strong single malt)
Graham Cracker Crust, Whipped Cream and Buttered Pecans (see below, or on page 470), for topping (optional)
Getting Ready:
- Have six ramekins or pudding cups, each holding 4 to 6 ounces 1/2 to 3/4 cup), at hand.
- Put the brown sugar and water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, put the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stirring and lowering the heat if necessary, boil for 2 minutes. Add 1 and a 1/2 cups of the milk and the cream and bring to a boil--don't worry if, as it's heating, the mixture curdles.
- While the milk is heating, put the cornstarch and the salt in a food processor and whir to blend. Turn them out onto a piece of wax paper, put the sugar and egg yolks in the processor and blend for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and pulse just to mix, then add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times to blend.
- With the machine running, very slowly pour in the hot liquid, process for a few seconds, then pour everything back into the saucepan. Whisk without stopping over medium heat--making sure to get into the edges of the pan--until the pudding thickens and a couple of bubbles burble up to the surface and pop (about 2 minutes). You don't want the pudding to boil, but you do want it to thicken, so lower the heat, if necessary.
- Scrape the pudding back into the processor (if there's a scorched spot, avoid it as you scrape) and pulse a couple of times. Add the butter, vanilla and scotch and pulse until everything is evenly blended.
- Pour the pudding into the ramekins. If you don't want a skin to form, place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of each pudding to create an airtight seal. Refrigerate the pudding for at least 4 hours.
- Makes 6 servings.
Dorie says, "Serving one good buttery thing deserves another so I like topping the puddings with the buttered pecans. Even better is topping the puddings with whipped cream and topping the cream with the pecans."
Storing: Covered, and kept away from foods with strong odors, the puddings can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Butter Pecans Recipe:
Great over puddings, or ice cream or even buttered biscuits, these pecans are quick to make and so good to have on hand. You can multiply the recipe to meet your needs.
- 1/2 cup pecan halves, whole or chopped
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- pinch of salt (optional)
Directions:
- Line a plate with a double thickness of paper towels and keep it near the stove.
- Put a small skillet over medium heat and toss in the pecans. Cook the pecans, stirring, for 1 minute, or until they are ever so slightly toasted. Add the butter and continue to cook, turning, until the pecans have absorbed almost all the butter, another 2 minutes or so.
- Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the salt, if you're using it, and turn the pecans out onto the paper towels. Cover with another double layer of paper towels and pat the pecans gently to remove some of the excess butter. Cool to room temperature between the paper towels.
- Makes 1/2 cup (enough to top 6 servings)
- Storing: In a bowl at cool room temperature, the nuts will keep for about 3 days.
My Graham Cracker Crust Recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Line pie pan, pressing evenly up against the sides.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before filling with Butterscotch Pudding.
My Fresh Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 cup Whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
Directions:
- In large mixing bowl, beat cream until it sets up. There is no way to explain how long this will take. Every mixer is different. It should be light and fluffy and look like soft whipped cream. Do NOT let it get to the butter stage which can happen very quickly. If in doubt, under mix. You can always whip it a little more after the sugar is added.
- Add powdered sugar and and vanilla and beat until fluffy and stiff. Do not over beat.
- Put whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and decorate the pie. Or pile the cream on high with a spatula.
Take a look at the TWD blogroll to see how all the other Butterscotch Puddings turned out!
Recent Comments