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Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce and Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies

For the Butterscotch Budino:
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 egg
3 egg yolks
5 Tablespoons cornstarch
5 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons dark rum


In a large bowl, combine the cream and milk and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the brown sugar, one-half cup water and salt over medium-high heat. Cook to a smoking, dark caramel, about 10 to 12 minutes. Sugar will smell caramelized and nutty and turn a deep brown.
Immediately whisk the cream mixture into the caramel to stop the cooking (the mixture will steam and the sugar will seize). Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks and cornstarch. Temper the hot caramel cream into the egg mixture by adding a cupful of caramel at a time, whisking constantly, until half is incorporated. Pour the egg mixture back into remaining caramel, stirring constantly with a whisk until the custard is very thick and the corn starch is cooked out, about 2 minutes.

Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the butter and rum.

Pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps and divide among 10 (6-ounce) ramekins leaving one-half inch at the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours up to three days.


For the Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 vanilla bean, scraped

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon Fleur de sel
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup Crème fraiche

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla over medium heat, until simmering, about three minutes. Add the butter, turn off the heat and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the corn syrup and sugar. Add enough water to make a wet sandy texture, about one-fourth cup. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan just slightly to gauge the caramelization, until the sugar becomes a medium amber color, about 10 minutes.

Remove the caramel from heat, carefully whisk the cream mixture into the caramel (be very careful – it will steam and bubble). Whisk to combine. Place the pan in a large bowl of ice water to cool.

In a chilled medium bowl with a wire whisk, whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the crème fraiche and beat until thick and fluffy.

Before serving, warm the sauce over medium heat. Spoon one Tablespoon on each budino, sprinkle with one-eighth teaspoon of fleur de sel and add a dollop of cream topping. Serve with Rosemary Pine Nut cookies on the side.

Yields 10 servings.

Recipe compliments of Nancy Silverton from:  Great Gatherings (September 2007)

For the Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies:

1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
2 sprigs rosemary, plus 2 sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 3/4 cup pastry or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup polenta


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly toast the pine nuts by placing them on a cookie sheet and baking them, stirring occasionally until the nuts are fragrant and just beginning to turn golden, about 9 minutes.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, place the cream, honey, sugar, vanilla bean seeds and 2 Tablespoons butter and cook over high heat, stirring only once to ensure even cooking, until the mixture reached 230°F on a candy thermometer. Take off the heat and whisk in the 3 Tablespoons of flour.

Turn the nougatine mixture into a bowl and fold in the pine nuts and two whole rosemary stalks. Allow to infuse and cool for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the rosemary stalks. This mixture can be made in advance, stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring it to room temperature before rolling out the cookies.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the remaining 2 sticks of butter and the powdered sugar until it is creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined. Add the flour and polenta and mix until well-combined. The dough will be soft. Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Wrap the disks separately and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

On a well-floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to ⅛-inch thick, using enough flour as needed. Cut out circles of dough using a 1¼-inch round cutter. Place the circles of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Scraps of leftover dough can be re-rolled after returning the dough to the refrigerator to chill slightly.

Work the room-temperature nougatine between your fingers, creating a thin disk about the size of a dime. Place the circle of nougatine on a circle of dough and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs, about three leaves for each cookie.

Once all of the cookies are finished and garnished, bake them about 15 minutes until they are golden brown and the nougatine has changed color to a light hazelnut brown, rotating the pan once during baking. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve aside Butterscotch Budino.

Yields about 5 dozen cookies.

Recipe compliments of Nancy Silverton from:  Great Gatherings (September 2007)