BUTTERSCOTCH POTS
Butterscotch Pots de Créme is an elegant, French-inspired, make-ahead dessert that always gets rave reviews. It's also crazy delicious!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
- 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 oz unsalted butter (4 tbsp/57 grams)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 4 oz muscovado sugar firmly packed light or dark (1/2 cup/113 grams)
- 19 1/8 oz half and half (2 1/4 cups/540 grams)
Whipped cream for serving
- Flaky sea salt, like Maldon for serving
- Buttermilk Caramel Sauce or other caramel saucefor serving
INSTRUCTIONS
First, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Place 8 small ramekins, cups, or coffee mugs (6 to 8 oz) in a small roasting tin. Boil a kettle of water.
Then, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter, sugar and salt. Whipping often, cook until the sugar begins to caramelize, blacken and smell nutty, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently and slowly fold in half and half. The caramel will sear at first, melting into the mixture once all of the liquid is added. Stirring often, bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the fire. Stir in the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
Whisk a small amount of hot liquid into the yolks to warm them up, then gradually whip the rest. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large heat resistant measuring cup. Pour the pastry cream into the sieve. Distribute the custard evenly among the ramekins.
Slide the rack out of the oven and place the drip pan on the rack. Carefully fill the drip pan with boiling water halfway up the ramekins, being careful not to splash the creams. Replace the rack. Bake in oven until custards are just set but still move when tapped and a thin knife inserted into the center of one of the creams comes out clean, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size, depth and thickness of the ramekins (use the "jiggle test" and a knife tester as cooking indices.) Let the creams cool outside the drip pan for 5 minutes. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate from 3 to 4 hours.
To serve, garnish each cream jar with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce and a little flaky sea salt. Happy Cooking Time.
