Everyone does a lot of baking around the holidays and a lot of tasty baking recipes call for lots of egg whites, which is great for fluffy cakes and meringues but what do you do with all of the extra egg yolks? I’ll admit that somtimes I’ve thrown them away but a better idea is to spend 5-10 minutes and make this awesome butterscotch pudding!!
Butterscotch Pudding (Serves 4)
=====================
3 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch, spooned lightly into a measuring cup (not tightly packed)
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Rinse a heavy saucepan (2 qts or larger) with cold water and shake out the excess water (this helps prevent the milk from scorching). Bring 2 1/2 cups of the milk nearly to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, the egg yolks, brown sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
3. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously. Repeat this 2 more times. Pour the warmed yolk mixture into the pan of hot milk and bring to a boil, whisking over medium heat. Boil, whisking almost constantly (be sure to stir the edges of the pan), for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
4. Strain the pudding through a fine sieve into a bowl. Transfer the pudding into 4 individual serving dishes, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
