BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDIN'

It's Sunday. And it's gross outside. Seems like a good day to test out some butterscotch pudding recipes, kitchen chemist style. Most puddin' recipes call for egg yolks as thickeners (see: The Pioneer Woman). Although, it is possible to avoid eggs altogether (refer to: The Smitten Kitchen). So I decided to make butterscotch pudding two ways...

Batch #1 (without eggs):

Materials:

- heaping 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

- 1/4 cup cornstarch

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

- 3 cups whole milk

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Methods: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the milk, slowly at first. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Turn off the burner and add the butter and vanilla. Pour into cups/bowls and chill for at least 2 hours. Or eat the pudding scalding hot. Up to you.

Batch #2 (with eggs):

Materials:

- same as batch #1 plus 3 large egg yolks

Methods: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk together the milk and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg/milk mixture into the dry ingredients, slowly at first. Then proceed as directed for batch #1.

Oh, I also made some maple whipped cream. To make the guilt-free pudding very guilty. (Just add a splash of maple syrup to some heavy cream and whip to form soft peaks.)

Results and Discussion: Both batches were quick and foolproof. After careful deliberation, I found that the egg-thickened batch #2 was richer and more velvety. I think the consistency was slightly better. That said, the egg-free batch #1 was surprisingly tasty. I would honestly make either (or both simultaneously) again.