Guest Author - Anita Burroughs

This is a dessert that adults and children alike will love. Serve this with your favorite cookie, and you’ll have a hit on your hands. For a really elegant presentation, place the pudding in individual ramekins, or serve it in a wine or martini glass. Add a strawberry or raspberry or two on the top for color, and you have a stunning looking dessert.

Here is the recipe:

12 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ½ cups brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut down the center, with the black seeds scraped out.
(You can also use a teaspoon of vanilla extract, but the vanilla bean will give you a more flavorful result)
4 ½ cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup plus two tablespoons of cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

In a large pot, melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla bean scrapings over medium heat; you can discard the vanilla bean pod. (Or, add the teaspoon of vanilla extract if you prefer this to the bean.). Stir the mixture occasionally. Cook for three to five minutes.

In a medium sized pot, bring the milk and cream to a boil. Then, slowly whisk in the butter and brown sugar mixture. Whisk until the mixture is well blended. If the mixture separates, simply remove it from the heat and keep whisking until it becomes smooth again.

In a clean bowl, combine the cornstarch and the salt, mixing well. Then take some of the hot milk mixture (maybe half a cup) and pour this into the cornstarch to dissolve it. Then, whisk this cornstarch and milk mixture back into the large hot milk in the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Now, whisk the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Whisk in more of the hot milk mixture, and then take the egg/milk mixture and whisk it back into the pot with the rest of the milk. Cook for at least a half a minute, and don’t stop stirring. Stir in the tablespoon of vanilla extract, and strain the entire butterscotch mixture into a bowl, through a fine strainer.

If you have individual ramekins or glasses, pour the butterscotch pudding into individual serving bowls, and let the pudding come to room temperature. You can also place the pudding in one large serving bowl. Then, refrigerate until needed.

You can add whipped cream to the top of the pudding if you wish but I think it tastes great without it.