Banana Butterscotch Pudding
I’ve said it before and I’m likely to continue to keep saying it for sometime - I love winter.
I love the smell of the woodfire in the air. I love the ice that forms in thin sheets over the sheep troughs or as crystals on top of our lawn by the side of the house. I love everything about it, and have done for as long as I can remember.
Which is why it always baffled me when I would see tourists from across the world, stripping off their clothing and slathering themselves in tanning oil to bake under the smallest slivers of sunlight regardless of the time or place. Aussie’s learn from a young age - especially outback kids - that the sun isn’t to be messed with. “Slip, Slop, Slap” wasn’t a guideline for us, it was a set of rules. Which is why my skin would physically pucker to see the blasé nature of overseas tourists flouncing around under our crippling sunshine.
Granted - my skin tone rivals the Pantone colour Bright White for top place in the category of unsightly fluorescent whites. I could burn via candlelight let alone spending a quick thirty minutes in the sun without 2 litres of sunscreen slathered on. Regardless, it always seemed foolish to me. And still does today - albeit a little less than before.
It was during our year living in Europe and England that scrutinised my perspective for our climate in Outback Australia. Long grey, rainy days that turned quickly into months without a splinter of sunlight started to take it’s toll on me, seemingly without me even fully noticing. Spending long months indoors, constantly in artificial heating, in a retail job that - mercifully - had a large bank of windows looking onto the closed-in street was miserable…
Truly miserable… It felt like every article of clothing I owned had a varying degree of dampness to it. The coldness opened up a black hole inside of me that seemed to suck into it my drive and creativity. Encompassing everything good until it felt like it never existed to begin with. The daily commute to work in the dark, only to get home… in the dark, was nothing like I had experienced before. The phrase “winter blues” became less of an offhanded comment of malarkey and more of a real and true diagnosis.
Of course, and at risk of sounding dramatic, there were other happenings in our life that would’ve contributed to this state of mind. It was only in hindsight that I realised that the best parts of my time in England was when I was in a park, surrounded by nature and ironically - sunning myself.
Upon returning home to Australia, I have more understanding for our beloved visitors from overseas when they embrace our sunlight. As someone who draws a lot of creativity and inspiration from the variations of light across our sky, I find it strange I didn't' find that compassion sooner. I guess experience is key - to the point now that I start to find myself claustrophobic after a few consecutive grey, overcast days.
So, for now I am happy to continue to embrace our unique lukewarm, winter days in the sunshine. Although, you still won’t find me within a 2km radius from a bottle of tanning oil anytime soon.
Banana Butterscotch Pudding
Ingredients
- 360ml whole milk
- 240ml thickened cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 2tbsp cornflour
- 150g dark brown sugar - or light brown sugar for a milder butterscotch flavour
- 3tbsp water
- pinch salt
- 43g unsalted butter - softened
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1tbsp rum or bourbon
- 3-4 ripe bananas, sliced.
- 125g Scotch Finger biscuits, crushed into small and medium pieces - or any other type of preferred plain biscuit
- 125ml thickened cream - whipped to soft peaks for garnish
- Caramel sauce - to serve
Instructions
- Combine milk and cream into a large jug. Microwave gently for 30 seconds to a minute to warm slightly - it doesn't need to be hot. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornflour until the cornflour has been absorbed and no floury spots remain. Set aside.
- Into a heavy bottomed large saucepan, stir together the dark brown sugar, water and salt. Bring to a boil over a low-medium heat. If the mixture starts to boil over, remove from the heat and stir until the bubbles reduce. Continue to cook the sugar syrup until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 116°C. Reduce heat to low.
- Carefully pour the cream and milk into the saucepan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, whisking occasionally to prevent scorching. When it reaches a low simmer, start to drizzle about 1 cup of mixture into the egg yolks, whisking consistently. Repeat until half of the milk mixture has been added to the eggs. Pour the egg custard back into the saucepan and whisk over a medium low heat. It will become very thick and glossy - about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk through the butter, vanilla and rum. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Optionally - you can pass the pudding through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked egg specks after allowing the pudding to briefly cool.
- Place a tablespoon of Scotch Finger Biscuits into the bottom of a ramekin or dessert glass. Top with a few slices of banana and 2-3 table spoonfuls of butterscotch pudding. Repeat - biscuit, banana and top with pudding. Place a few slices of banana on top with a sprinkle of biscuit to garnish.
- Repeat with remaining ramekins. Allow to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until set. Serve with a spoonful of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
- The use of dark brown sugar creates a very rich and decadent butterscotch flavour. Feel free to use light brown sugar if you'd prefer a lighter taste.
- Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- The size of your dessert glasses will determine how many portions you can get from the recipe. It is a rich dessert so be mindful not to use a giant glass to serve it in. The ramekins I use are roughly 200ml in capacity.