Butterscotch Budino With Whipped Crème Fraîche Food

BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• For the budino, combine cream and milk in bowl or pitcher, set aside. Whisk egg, egg yolks and cornstarch in medium bowl, set aside.
• Combine brown sugar, kosher salt and 1/2 cup water in pot. Place over medium-high heat and let sit until edges start to brown. Tilt pot as needed to even the browning until caramelized, nutty and deep brown, about 10 minutes.
• Immediately whisk in cream mixture, mixture will steam and caramel will seize. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Whisk a cup at a time into egg mixture until half is incorporated. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk egg mixture back into pot until custard is very thick, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in butter and rum. Pass through a fine mesh strainer and divide among 10 6-ounce ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, allow to cool, and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or up to 3 days.
• For sauce, combine 1/2 cup of cream and the vanilla in medium saucepan. Heat until simmering. Add butter and remove from heat; set aside.
• In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar and enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to make a wet, sandy mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan for even cooking, until mixture is medium amber, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cream mixture; set aside and let cool. (May be refrigerated and reheated before serving.)
• Whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large bowl until it begins to thicken. Add crème fraîche and whisk until thick and fluffy. To serve, spoon a tablespoon of warm caramel sauce over each budino. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon fleur de sel, and add a dollop of cream topping.

BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, salt, and water in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; cook until the caramel is very dark, and bubbles appear, 7 to 10 minutes. Immediately turn off heat.
• Carefully whisk in 2 tablespoons butter; pour in heavy cream and continue to stir. Be careful, as the mixture may boil up in the pan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Whisk in milk.
• Whisk whole egg, egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch together in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot cream mixture to temper the egg mixture. Whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer, and cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl to remove any lumps. Whisk in rum.
• Pour into serving glasses. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating until thoroughly chilled, 3 to 4 hours.

BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO WITH WHIPPED CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• For budino:
• Mix cream and milk in large bowl. Whisk egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Stir sugar, 1/2 cup water, and salt in heavy large pot over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring until mixture turns thick, syrupy, and dark amber, occasionally swirling pot and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 7 minutes. Immediately whisk in cream mixture (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir to dissolve caramel bits. Bring mixture to boil, watching closely to prevent mixture from bubbling over, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk half of hot caramel mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to pot, whisking to blend. Whisk over medium heat until custard boils and is very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and rum; stir until melted and smooth. Strain.
• Divide custard among ten 6-ounce glasses or cups. Chill uncovered until cold, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• For toppings:
• Place 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Add butter and set aside. Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring until mixture turns medium amber color, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 6 minutes. Immediately whisk in cream mixture (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir to dissolve caramel bits. Set pan in large bowl of ice water to cool. Discard vanilla bean. DO AHEAD: Caramel sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1/4 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Add crme frache and beat until soft peaks form. Place 1 budino on each of 10 plates. Reheat caramel sauce just until warm. Spoon 1 tablespoon caramel sauce over each budino. Spoon dollop of whipped crème fraîche over and sprinkle with fleur de sel.
• *A type of sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO WITH CARAMEL SAUCE AND MALDON SEA SALT

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside. Set a fine-mesh strainer in the smaller bowl.
• To make the budino, stir the cream and milk together in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, egg, and cornstarch together. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup of water in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Cook the sugar, without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally for even cooking, until the sugar is smoking, nutty smelling, and a very dark caramel color, 10 to 12 minutes. (Don't be alarmed: the sugar will become foamy and lava-like with slow-bursting bubbles.) Reduce the heat to low and immediately add the cream-milk mixture in a thin, steady stream, stirring with a whisk as you add it. This stops the cooking process and prevents the sugar from burning. This will cause the sugar to seize, or harden. Increase the heat to high and cook until the seized sugar has dissolved and the mixture is liquid again, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Ladle out 1 cup of the hot cream and sugar mixture and gradually add it to the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly to prevent the cream mixture from cooking the eggs. Continue adding the cream to the eggs until you have added half of the cream. Gradually add the contents of the bowl to the saucepan with the remaining caramel, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook the custard over medium heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the butter and whiskey.
• Pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl set in the ice, and ladle it into the glasses or ramekins, leaving at least 1 inch of space at the top of each budino. Place the budini on a baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours to chill. (The budini can be prepared to this point up to three days in advance.) Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, cover each budino with plastic wrap, and return the budini to the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
• To serve, if the caramel sauce has cooled, warm it over medium heat until it returns to a loose saucelike consistency and is barely warm but not hot. Remove the budini from the refrigerator and spoon 1 tablespoon of the sauce on each budino. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and top each with a big dollop (about 2 tablespoons) of the whipped cream. Place each budino on a small plate, ideally lined with a small napkin or doily, and place two Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies, if you are using them, alongside each glass on the plate.
• Pour the cream into a medium saucepan. Using a small, sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise. Use the back of the knife to scrape out the pulp and seeds and add the scrapings and the bean to the saucepan with the cream. Heat the cream over high heat until it just begins to boil. Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring until it melts.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup of water in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook without stirring, swirling the pan for even cooking and brushing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush to remove the sugar crystals until the sugar becomes a medium amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the cream mixture and discard the bean. Gradually add the cream mixture to the caramel, whisking constantly to thoroughly combine, taking care as the mixture will steam and bubble. Serve the caramel sauce, or set it aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one month. Before serving, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to melt it.
• Pour the whipping cream into a chilled bowl and whip it with a chilled whisk until it thickens to soft peaks. Do not overwhip the cream, as it will become curdled. Add the crème fraîche and gently beat it until the whipped cream is thick and mousselike. (Use the cream or cover the bowl and refrigerate until you're ready to serve it or for up to several hours. Before serving, whip gently to stiffen if it separated.)
• Recioto di Soave (Veneto)