Home Cooking Chronicles:
Butterscotch pudding
BY BRIAN MEDFORD
This past December, I was tormented
by a kidney stone attack. This was both
fortunate and unfortunate. The unfortu-
nate part is probably fairly obvious. The
fortunate part is that I live only half a
mile from an emergency room.
It was a transformational experi-
ence. I went into the emergency room a
crazed, overwrought mess ready to jump
out of my skin, then I came out calm
and slightly bleary. Thank goodness for
modern medicine.
When I got home, all I wanted to
do was lie on my couch and rest. I
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flipped endlessly through my stream-
ing channels and discovered “Victorian
Farm,” a delightful show that I highly
recommend.
Getting up to pour a glass of water
seemed like a Herculean task. That’s
when the knocks on my door started.
My bubble of masked friends began
showing up, not only to check how I
was doing but to bring me food. They
knew a check-in was lovely but feed-
ing me in the aftermath of distress was
therapeutic. Even my mother, who only
has a kitchen because it came with her
house, brought days worth of snacks and
my favorite childhood supper: peppers,
steak and rice.
As a Southerner, I keep a men-
tal rubric to match the correct home
cooked item to someone’s life event;
birthday: layer cake; new home: lasa-
gna; post-surgery recuperation: apple
bundt; the opposite of a birthday: pie.
We instinctually know that by cooking
for others, we elevate their celebration
or we alleviate a bit of their pain.
I swear, the biggest spreads I’ve ever
seen are after a funeral. I’d like to state
unequivocally that I’m hopeful there is
a hashbrown casserole available after
my final service. If not, I’ll be abso-
lutely gutted.
When words fail and you can’t
do anything else, you feed someone.
During quarantine, I’ve fed myself and
others pudding — a lot of pudding.
Adding that to the rubric; pandemic:
pudding.
Butterscotch Pudding
(Adapted from Melissa Clark;
yields six to eight servings)
Ingredients
• Four large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed*
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon Scotch whisky (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preparation
Put egg yolks, cornstarch and salt into a
large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
In a medium pot over medium heat,
combine brown sugar and butter. Whisk
until the brown sugar melts.
Let the mixture cook. Whisk constantly
for about one minute until the mixture starts
to smell like caramel and darkens slightly.
Don’t walk away.
Pour the milk and cream into the sugar
and butter mixture. Watch out — it’ll bub-
ble vigorously. At this point the mixture
will look like a nightmare. However, con-
tinue to cook, whisking constantly, for
about three to four minutes, until the sugar
melts.
Slowly whisk about a ½ cup of the hot
cream mixture into the bowl with the egg
yolks. Whisk until smooth.
Whisk the remaining hot cream mix-
ture into the egg yolks. Pour the egg yolk-
cream mixture back into the saucepan over
medium heat.
Brian Medford
During the coronavirus pandemic, author Brian
Medford has enjoyed making butterscotch
pudding for himself and loved ones.
Cook the pudding, whisking constantly
for about one minute, until it comes to a
full boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low
and cook, stirring the mixture constantly for
about two to four minutes, until it thickens.
If the pudding looks curdled, whisk to help
smooth it out.
Strain the mixture through a mesh
sieve into a heatproof bowl, then stir in the
Scotch (if using), vanilla and lemon juice.
To prevent a skin from forming, press plas-
tic wrap directly onto the surface of the
pudding. Chill for at least two hours. The
pudding lasts up to two days. Spoon into
bowls and serve with softly whipped cream.
*Light brown sugar will work. How-
ever, dark brown sugar ensures the pudding
achieves maximum butterscotch glory.
Brian Medford is the owner of Idlewild
Biscuits and Bakes in Astoria. He teaches
cooking classes at The Pantry in Seattle.
Contact him at blmedford@gmail.com.
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