The Restaurant Takeaway column is devoted to restaurant dishes you can make in your own kitchen, tested and tweaked for home cooks.
Chocolate pudding variations abound on dessert menus — pots de crème, flan, budino — as does anything containing the formerly exotic dulce de leche. But cozy, old-fashioned butterscotch pudding still remains largely in the home cook’s domain.
A happy exception is Pizzeria Locale in Denver, where shot-glass-size portions to spoon up after your bespoke pizza are the only dessert on offer. And they are all you need: creamy and light in texture, profoundly caramelized in flavor, with a dense milk chocolate ganache blanketing the top, they are hugely satisfying for their minuscule size.
While most butterscotch pudding recipes rely simply on dark brown sugar for their flavor, Pizzeria Locale adds an intense, nutty character by caramelizing the brown sugar first. Beyond a little salt, there is no other flavor added to distract from the caramel – no vanilla, no alcohol, no spice. They are not missed.
If you’re pressed for time, you could skip the ganache topping, substituting grated milk chocolate bits on top or leaving the chocolate off altogether. Even the whipped cream is optional. Butterscotch pudding this good stands on its own.
Pizzeria Locale’s Butterscotch Budino:
Time: 30 minutes plus chilling
Yield: 8 servings
Tools: Medium Pot, Small Pot, Bowl
For the pudding:
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
150 grams dark brown sugar
1/3 cup water
5 grams fine sea salt
4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
12 grams cornstarch (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the pudding:
1. Prep
Medium pot - add 150g brown sugar, 1/3 cup water and 5g salt
Small pot - bring 3 cups cream and milk to a simmer. Cover to keep warm.
Bowl - whisk together the egg, 4 yolks, and 12g cornstarch.
2. Bring brown sugar to a boil
Cook, stirring occasionally to keep mixture from scorching
Until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
The mixture should be a deep brown color and smell nutty and caramelized.
3. Immediately whisk cream mixture
into brown sugar to stop the cooking - it will seize
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook until smooth.
4. Pour a ladleful of hot cream mixture into the egg mixture
Whisk constantly so the eggs don’t curdle
5. Pour egg mixture into the pot with the cream, whisking more
Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until thickened. It’s OK if the mixture comes to a simmer.
6. Strain mixture into a large glass measuring cup
Whisk in butter until smooth
Divide among 8 serving dishes
Chill for at least 4 hours until custards are set.
For the ganache:
1/4 cup heavy cream
70 grams chopped milk chocolate (2.5 ounces)
1. Make the ganache
In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming
Add chocolate and stir constantly over very low heat until just melted. Strain into a glass measuring cup with a spout.
1. Pour a thin layer of ganache over the tops of the custards
Chill for at least 4 more hours to set the ganache. Serve with whipped cream on top
You may not use all of the ganache depending on how wide your serving dishes are
8. To serve, make whipped cream to put on top, and serve.