Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Buttered Pecans

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I always feel at odds this time of the year. Labor Day is passed, schools back in session, and football season has started.Time for bonfires, bowls of chili, pumpkins, and all things Fall, right? Except that technically it's still summer for a couple more weeks, and here in Alabama it's still hot, like 90 degrees outside hot. It's that weird in-between seasons time. I can never decided what to wear. Too hot for jeans, not supposed to wear white anymore... mostly I stand staring at my closet hoping some perfect transitional outfit will suddenly appear.
Lately I've been feeling the same way about food. All the summery foods are still in season, but I'm ready for a change. I want the flavors of Fall, but it's still just plain too hot to even think about making much less eating, a big bowl of chili or hanging out by a bonfire. I tend to stand looking in the fridge the same way I look in the closet, just hoping to suddenly find the perfect in-between food. Of course this never happens in the closet or the fridge...
I think this butterscotch pudding is the perfect in-between dessert. It's cold which is what I want in this heat, but it's got a wonderful rich caramel flavor which satisfies my craving for Fall. Topped with a dollop of whipped cream and some salted buttered pecans, it's just what I was hoping for while staring into the fridge...now if I could just find the right outfit!

Butterscotch Pudding
source: David Lebovitz
serves 4-6
PRINTABLE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup packed dark brown
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD:
 Melt the butter in a medium heavy bottomed pan. when melted, stir in the dark brown sugar and salt, stir until the sugar is well-moistened. Remove from heat.
 In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with  1/4 cup of the milk until very smooth, then whisk in the eggs.
Gradually pour the remaining milk into the melted brown sugar, whisking constantly. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for one minute, whisking until the pudding thickens up. If the pudding seems to have a curdled look, don't freak out! Blend the pudding in batches in a blender or pass it through a medium mesh sieve and it'll be fine. I almost always put puddings and curds through a sieve just to get out any little egg-y pieces that may be in them.
Pour the pudding into 4-6 serving glasses or custard cups and chill thoroughly, at least four hours, before serving. Just before serving, top with sweetened whipped cream and some of the salted buttered pecans.*You don't have to add the bourbon, but if you do, you'll never want to butterscotch pudding without it again, trust me!

Salted Buttered Pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt

Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the pecans cooking for about 2 minutes until the pecans are evenly coated with the butter. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the sea salt over the pecans.

I've linked this post to:

Super Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

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Meyer lemons were on sale this week at the grocery store so of course I couldn't leave without a bag of 6 or 7 of these beauties! I recently became the proud owner of two Meyer lemon trees so hopefully next year I'll be picking them from my own backyard. In the meantime however, I couldn't resist bringing these home with me. After buying them I had to decide what I wanted to do with them. Oh the possibilities! I came across this article in the LA Times for 100 things to do with Meyer lemons. I'd like to try every single one of them. With my two trees, I just might get the chance! One of the suggestions they listed was for Meyer lemon ice cream. They had a link to a recipe, but I didn't have everything it called for so I decided to look to David Lebovitz, my ice cream guru. He had a recipe for Super Lemon Ice Cream that not only sounded wonderful but was also quite simple to make. So I decided I'd try my Meyer lemons in this recipe. I replaced the regular lemon juice with Meyer lemon juice. Meyer lemons are a little milder than lemons and I wanted the ice cream to have a real lemony punch so I added a bit more zest in mine. I think this ice cream has a great balance of tart and sweet.



Ingredients

3 teaspoons lemon zest (I used a little more than a Tablespoon of Meyer lemon zest)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 pinch salt

Zest lemons directly into food processor. Pour in sugar and process until the sugar is faintly lemon-colored and the zest is finely ground.

Juice the lemons and straining out any seeds. Pour the measured juice into the sugar/zest mixture. Blend until the sugar dissolves.
Add half and half and blend.Chill for about an hour; the product may break up, but just stir it back together. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.

For Easter we had a strawberry and rhubarb sauce to go with our cake. I had a little left over and topped the ice cream with the sauce. The flavors were perfect together.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

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I've never tried to make frozen yogurt before. It's probably because I associate frozen yogurt with the late 80's frozen yogurt craze. When frozen yogurt places were cropping up everywhere. It was touted as healthier because it was yogurt, not ice cream. However, the end product had so little to do with actual yogurt that many of frozen yogurt places had to take the word yogurt out of their advertising. I never liked it. It was so sweet and gummy. The store bought varieties weren't much better. I never found one that I really enjoyed. I think it has something to do with the texture. So I haven't even eaten any frozen yogurt in quite a while. While trying to find a recipe for strawberry sorbet, I came across David Lebovitz's strawberry Frozen yogurt. I was intrigued. He description of French frozen yogurt made me want to give this recipe a try. David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop has hundreds of wonderful recipes and tips for making all kinds of ice creams.
With an abundance of strawberries at the farm right now I decided to give frozen yogurt another chance.
This recipe is super easy and unbelievably delicious, I foresee making this all the time. It's so good that you won't believe it's got about half the fat of ice cream. I can't wait to try making it with our fresh blueberries when they're in season!

David Lebovitz's Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

About 1 quart (1 liter)

"French yogurt is astoundingly good and I suggest you use a good-quality, locally-produced yogurt for similar results."

1 pound (450 g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch (I used vodka)
1 cup (240 g) plain, whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Pulse the machine until the mixture is almost smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.