Salted Caramel Pudding

I know that quite some time ago I promised to make a copycat version of California Pizza Kitchen's Salted Caramel Pudding and I have FINALLY done it! Better late than never I guess!

This is a lighter, less fat pudding that does not use any heavy cream or eggs. I always hesitate to use the word "lighter" because I feel like people immediately think that it's better for you. I guess it depends on your school of thought. I, personally, prefer full fat versions of foods -- and I'm not saying that because I prefer the way they taste per se. I consider them to be "healthier" (generally speaking) than their non- or low-fat counterparts that usually replace the missing fat with more sugar or artificial flavoring.

Now all that being said, there is still whole milk in this and since the pudding literally only uses 6 natural ingredients, i don't feel that this is a "bad" version. :)  It definitely is not a super thick, rich pudding (unless you overcook it that is -- see below), but the homemade caramel adds so much flavor that you won't even care.

When following this recipe, I would suggest trying to stay within the time frames I give...my first attempt at making it I ended up with pudding that was more the consistency of flan...or even jello...it was pretty unappetizing. The second time around, I went more with the times suggested and not so much the way the recipe said it should look and ended up with much better results.

And who knows, maybe I'll try a more true pudding recipe next and give you that option too. ;)

~Leah

 

Salted Caramel Pudding

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Leah (adapted from chow.com and Smitten Kitchen)

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Crust


• 30 chocolate cookie wafers, such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers


• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled


• Pudding


• 4 cups whole milk)


• 6 Tbsp cornstarch


• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1 cup sugar


• coarse sea salt


• whipped cream (homemade or store bought)


• 8, 1/2 pint mason jars (preferably wide mouth) or ramekin or any other oven safe, small dessert bowls.

Instructions

1. For the crust, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.


2. Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until the pieces are about the size of peas. Stop the motor, add the melted butter, and continue to process until the crumbs are fine, about the size of coarsely ground coffee (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Alternatively, place the cookies in a resealable plastic bag, press out the air, and seal. Using a rolling pin, smash into fine crumbs until uniform. Transfer to a medium bowl, add melted butter, and mix until evenly combined.


3. Fill each 1/2 pint mason jar with 3 Tbsp of crumbs, pressing down lightly. Place mason jars on a cookie sheet (lining it with a silpat if you have one helps them not slide around) and bake for 5 min. Remove and let cool.


4. For the pudding, in a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, vanilla and salt until smooth. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar with 6 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. Cook over med high heat, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient but watch the stove like a hawk as caramel changes color quickly, and can (and will) burn within seconds. Remove from the heat. Very gradually whisk in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk. As you begin whisking it in, the caramel will get darker and will seize up and turn into caramel clumps...don't fear, just keep going! :)


5. Return the pot to the stove and whisk over med-high heat until the caramel has dissolved again. Once again, watch this closely as the milk can foam up quickly as it comes to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly about 10 minutes. (this is where I screwed up my first time around...I didn't notice the significant thickening or darkening that the recipe I was following called for and I ended up WAAY overcooking it--once you get to that simmer, just go with the 10 minutes. I would say in total from getting it back on the heat, to the next step should be around 15 minutes tops.)


6. Restir the cornstarch mixture and gradually whisk it into the caramel/milk. Cook again over medium heat, stirring, until the pudding thickens, about one minute. Don't worry if it still seems a little on the thin side, it will thicken up a bit more in the fridge. You may strain the pudding in a fine strainer set over a large measuring cup or bowl if you wish (I did), but the original recipe says that you can skip this and nothing terrible will happen. Scrape the pudding into the eight vessels you have chosen with the crust already in the bottom and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours.


7. When ready to serve, top pudding with a pinch of coarse sea salt (less is more here people!) and whipped cream.


8. Also, if you do not like pudding skin (blech), press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of each pudding dish as it chills.

Notes

A few notes on supplies: 1. If you're going to purchase mason jars because of this recipe, I would recommend getting the wide mouth 1/2 pint jars (ours pictured are NOT wide mouth). They would make it a little bit easier to get your spoon all the way down to the crust from the first bite. 2. If you have a flat whisk, use it for this recipe! It will be great at getting at that hardened caramel in the corners of your pan when you're stirring it trying to get it to re-melt. And 3. I have not tried (yet) to make this in a larger pan instead of individual cups, but I'm sure it would work fine. You could even purchase a prepared chocolate cookie crust (found in the baking aisle). If you're going to stick with the homemade crust, adjust the baking time to about 7-10 minutes and I would try a 9x9 pan or something along there. Just bear in mind though that this is a pretty soft-set pudding so if you do prepare it in a pie pan or a square dish, it's not going to "cut" out like a cream pie...it will be a gloppy, mess, but cover it with some whipped cream and no one will be any the wiser! ;)

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