Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [414]
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. If desired, strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth to get rid of any inadvertent egg bits. Divide between six ½-or ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or up to 3 days.
Variations: For a spiced pudding, add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg with the cornstarch.
For an even darker butterscotch taste, reduce the brown sugar to 3 tablespoons; beat 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses into the egg yolks before adding the cornstarch.
Rum Butterscotch Pudding: Substitute 1 tablespoon dark rum, such as Myers’s, for the vanilla.
Cup Custards
These are eggy, old-fashioned custards. You need six oven-safe ramekins or Pyrex custard cups as well as a 13 × 9-inch baking dish for making a water bath. Makes 6 custards
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2½ cups milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil over high heat.
Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Ladle the mixture into six ¾-cup heat-safe ramekins or custard cups; sprinkle the nutmeg on top.
Take the teakettle off the heat so the water stops boiling. Pull out the oven rack, place a 13 × 9-inch baking dish on it, and set the custard cups in the dish. Slowly pour the hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the outsides of the cups or ramekins.
Gently slide the rack back into the oven and bake until the custard is set when jiggled, about 45 minutes.
Remove the cups from the hot water bath, taking care not to dribble water into the other pudding cups; set the cups on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Or cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Variations: For a richer pudding, use 2 cups milk and ½ cup half-and-half.
Reduce the sugar to 3 tablespoons; add 3 tablespoons honey with the remaining sugar.
Stir ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut into the mixture with the eggs.
Add ½ teaspoon maple extract or rum extract with the vanilla.
Substitute ground cinnamon or ground mace for the nutmeg—or add them with the nutmeg.
Crème Brûlée
Nothing’s more classic than this French concoction: a flourless custard with a golden hard sugar crust you must crack with a spoon to get at the pudding underneath. Make sure you use flameproof ramekins. Makes 6 servings
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil over high heat.
Slowly heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until a few puffs of steam rise off the surface.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, ¼ cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow and satiny, about 2 minutes. Don’t beat until doubled in volume or too thick; you don’t want to get too much air in this custard.
Beat the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla until smooth.
Ladle about ½ cup of the mixture into each of six ½-or ¾-cup heat-safe ramekins. Place these in a 13 × 9-inch baking dish or a similarly sized roasting pan. Turn off the heat under the teakettle and let the water stop boiling.
Pull out the oven rack and set the baking dish with the ramekins on it. Slowly pour the very hot water into the pan at its corner until the water comes halfway up the outsides of the ramekins.
Slide the rack back into the oven and bake until the custard is set when jiggled, about 45 minutes.
Carefully remove the ramekins from the scalding water, taking care not to drip