Butterscotch makes desserts dreamy

Butterscotch and caramel flavors are siblings -- a lot alike, a lot different, sort of like fraternal twins. Many people have trouble remembering which is which.

Caramel is made with a single ingredient, sugar, either by melting granulated sugar or dissolving it in water, then boiling the mixture to a rich depth of color. It is the clear, tawny-brown namesake in creme caramel, the coppery sauce in tarte tatin, the crunchy amber glue of caramel corn.

Butterscotch is similar to caramel in flavor and use, but its formula relies on a combination of ingredients: brown sugar, butter, cream and vanilla. It is creamy, luxurious, complex and elegant. Think butterscotch sauce, butterscotch pudding and cream pie. If I had my say, the triumvirate of ice cream flavors would lose strawberry and instead be vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch.

Butterscotch fell out of favor for a few decades because of rampant pudding abuse in school cafeterias, with its excess sugar and phony flavorings. But chefs and home cooks know that using fresh ingredients in from-scratch recipes make butterscotch desserts delicious, even chic.

In the kitchen, FOBs (friends of butterscotch) include apples, pecans, cream, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, chocolate, dessert sherry, rum and Scotch whisky. Here are some simple ways to showcase its flavor:

--Make butterscotch sundaes. Add a little Scotch or rum to warm butterscotch sauce. Spoon over vanilla ice cream, top with chopped toasted pecans and a wee pinch of Maldon sea salt. Add whipped cream if you dare.

--Match with fruit for dessert. Drizzle warm butterscotch sauce over baked apples, sauteed bananas or poached pears.

--Flavor whipped cream. Add a goodly amount of sauce to whipped cream to serve over angel food or pound cake. Or pipe the butterscotched whipped cream into mini-cream puffs or eclairs, then drizzle them with chocolate sauce.

--Use up leftovers to make a trifle. Layer spongecake, angel food cake or ladyfingers (brushed first with a little rum for extra yum) with butterscotch pudding and sliced bananas. Top with a layer of whipped cream and finish with a sprinkle of toasted chopped pecans.

--Even though purists may scoff at commercially made and packaged butterscotch chips, the product adds oomph to cakes and baked goods, where subtle flavors often are dissipated and lost. Chefs and cookbook authors do it.

A note of caution to remember anytime your recipe asks you to add brown sugar to milk or cream. Brown sugar contains molasses, which is acidic. If you heat brown sugar and cream alone, the liquid will curdle, and if that happens, you are out of luck. Be sure your recipe tempers the brown sugar and cream with, say, cornstarch and/or eggs.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

This is a classic butterscotch sundae sauce. It is also delectable on cake, pudding or right off the spoon. For a killer combo, serve over dulce de leche ice cream. Best served warm, but not hot. -- Marlene Parrish

Ingredients

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat. Carefully and slowly stir in cream. Be careful not to let it spatter. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and foaming subsides.

The sauce will separate upon standing. Just give it a good stir before serving. Serve warm. Sauce will keep covered and refrigerated for up to one week.

Makes 4 servings

Comfort food, nursery pudding, grown-up bliss. This butterscotch pudding is all three and more. Want to turn it into a pie? Bake an 8-inch chocolate cookie crumb crust. Pour all of the cooled pudding into the crust and top with a cloud of whipped cream. Or if you want to be oh-so-trendy, sprinkle portions with a few flakes of Maldon salt.

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk, divided

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch, spooned lightly into a measuring cup

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whipped cream flavored with vanilla extract, for serving (optional)

Directions

Rinse a heavy nonreactive saucepan 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. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, brown sugar and cornstarch until smooth.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously. Repeat the process 2 more times. Pour the warmed yolk mixture into the pan of hot milk and bring to a boil, whisking over medium heat. (Switch to a rubber spatula to keep the pudding from sticking.) Boil, stirring constantly (be sure to stir at the edges of the pan), for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pudding through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Transfer the pudding to 4 individual serving dishes, preferably glass sundae dishes. If you want to prevent a pudding "skin" from forming, lay a circle of wax paper directly on the surface of the pudding. Chill for 2 to 3 hours. Serve topped with vanilla-flavored whipped cream if you like.

--"Classic Home Desserts" by Richard Sax (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000)