pudding is trendy lately, but the only butterscotch pudding recipe you need is (the wonderful) David Lebovitz’s:

Butterscotch Pudding
4-6 servings

Adapted from Ripe For Dessert (HarperCollins)

4 tablespoons (60g) butter, salted or unsalted
1 cup (200g) packed dark brown or cassonade sugar
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2½ (625ml) cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and salt, then stir until the sugar is well-moistened. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with about 1/4 cup (60ml) of the milk until smooth (there should be no visible pills of cornstarch), then whisk in the eggs.

3. Gradually pour the remaining milk into the melted brown sugar, whisking constantly, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture as well.

4. 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 non-stop, until the pudding thickens to the consistency of hot fudge sauce.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla. If slightly-curdled looking, blend as indicated above.

6. Pour into 4-6 serving glasses or custard cups and chill thoroughly, at least four hours, before serving. [I like to sprinkle coarse rose salt over as a final touch.]

from kthread:

As the rain fell this morning, I rose and made the breakfast sandwich I’d dreamt of: a warm croissant, scrambled eggs from Saturday’s market, New York cheddar, and pork jowl (I prefer it to bacon right now).

The wonderful thing about cooking is that you can, truly, realize dreamy foods—and these ingredients are useful staples to have on hand.

To keep the sandwich warm, I begin by placing the croissant in the oven at about 300 degrees on a plate, cooking the pork in a pan, slicing a few thin slices of cheese, and scrambling the eggs in the rendered pork fat in the pan. Turn off the oven, take the croissant out (leave the plate in), cut a pocket in the croissant, place the pork, then the eggs, cheese, and season. Put the sandwich back in the oven on the plate for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

linguine frittata  - stirred a few beaten eggs into leftover linguine with roasted olives, chicken, sun-dried tomato pesto, escarole and let it cook, finishing in oven. this is a great lunch—

to make snow ice cream, gather a large amount of clean snow (take a top inch or so), pour over it a little whole milk, cream, vanilla, and syrup (sugar makes it grainy) and stir.

(more in this kthread post)

poached pear, Fior de Latte gelato, creme fraiche to begin the new year—

My dinner tonight was a long-stemmed artichoke with homemade chive aioli and a riff on Eric Ripert’s grilled cheese, with smoked salmon, Gruyere, salmon roe (subbed for caviar), and lemon zest (my lemon confit has to cure another three weeks).