Salted Honey Caramel Pudding

This week….is weird.

I’ve made about 14 things this week that I’ve never made before. Most of the them have worked out. A few? Not so much.

I’ve been having crazy strange dreams about things that I know nothing about.

Like last night.

My dream started with me having a spat with Phillip Phillips, just inches from my face. Inches, people. I don’t know what we were fighting about, but for like 2 minutes in the dream, we just stared each other down. Then I got lost in his eyes (song reference – anyone?) and was about to give in when the dream changed.

Instead of standing in the middle of the fight, I was running through a huge white beach house…with the original cast of 90210.

Now, here’s where this is even weirder.

I have never – not ever – watched that show. I wasn’t allowed when it was actually on tv and I just never watched when I got older.  So…I really don’t know anything about the characters or any story lines or anything except their names and the Peach Pit.

I know. Jessica has already gotten on to me for never seeing the show, but I think I made up for it with my love of Dawson’s Creek and Saved by the Bell.

So. I’m in this beach house, with everyone from 90210. Things are normal, I guess.

But then Denise Richards, circa Wild Things, shows up and runs upstairs. I’m already confused in my dream so I have no idea what’s going on. A few of us head upstairs and are just about to sit down in one of the rooms to listen to a cd when a hand reaches out from under the bed, grabs Brenda’s ankle, and drags her under while she’s kicking and screaming. I jump up and am about to high tail it outta there when I see Denise come out from under the bed, with Brenda, and then we all realize that Denise is a vampire (maybe I shouldn’t be reading Twilight again?). And Brenda’s dead.

And then I wake up.

What is this supposed to mean?!

Do I need to watch the show? Do I need to NOT read vampire books right before going to bed? Do I need to not try so many new things in one week? I feel like my brain is scrambled after those dreams…and the only other thing I can think about is this pudding.

Before this weekend, I had never made homemade pudding before. Box mixes? Yes. But standing over a stove to watch my own pudding thicken and turn dreamy? This was a first.

And of course I couldn’t just do plain vanilla. I wanted caramel. Salted caramel. But salted caramel made with honey.

I’m a little obsessed with honey right now and this just made sense. Caramelizing honey makes your entire house smell edible – so be warned. And this pudding is NOT light – it is thick and rich and you really only need a little, especially if you’re topping with honey sweetened cream. But it is definitely a good idea.

Salted Honey Caramel Pudding

Makes: 4 dessert size servings or 2 generous servings or 1 big bowl of pudding for yourself

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp butter, softened

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Set aside.
  2. In a large saucepan, mix the honey, sugar and  water and bring the mix to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until an amber caramel forms, about 8 minutes. You don’t want to actually stir the caramel, but you can gently swirl the pan to make sure the caramel is cooking evenly. Keep a VERY close eye on the pan, it will turn from light amber to burnt really fast, and you don’t want it to do that.   Remove from the heat once it has reached an amber color.
  3. Whisk in the butter until it has melted completely into the caramel.
  4.  Whisk in 1 and 1/2 cups of milk.  As soon as you begin to stir, the caramel will seize with the cold milk.  It’s okay! Keep stirring and the caramel will begin to dissolve into the milk as it heats up.
  5. Return the pot to the stove and whisk over moderate heat until the caramel has completely dissolved into the milk. Simmer over moderately low heat until the milk mixture thickens slightly and begins to deepen in color, about 10-12 minutes.
  6. Still over medium-low heat, slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the caramel. Cook again over moderate heat, stirring, until the pudding thickens, about 1-2 minutes.  It will look a little thin at this point, not like the firm pudding cups you see in the store, but once the pudding cools, it will be thick and creamy. No worries.
  7.  Scoop the pudding into 4 ramekins or little dishes and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours. To avoid a pudding skin press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of each pudding dish as it chills.
  8. Serve chilled with a scoop of freshly whipped cream.

24 comments

  1. I have really screwed up dreams too. Glad someone else feels my pain/confusion.

  2. Wow super crazy dreams! I get that a lot, too, but don’t usually remember the details quite so well. Anyway, loving this caramel pudding!

  3. I am ashamed that I have never made homemade pudding. I am totally in for this salted caramel stuff!

  4. a) WHY WAS I NOT IN THAT DREAM?

    b) you absolutely absolutely need to go back and watch ALL of 90210.

    c) feed me?

    • a) i have no idea! i thought you would just show up in your shirt.

      b) ok ok okay. maybe. that’s a lot of acid wash to get through.

      c) trade you pudding for ice cream!

  5. how unique! this sounds awesome, and i will totally be making this… at some point :) i’d say soon, but i’m trying to be realistic ;)

  6. That was a fantastic dream. The only thing that could have made it better was Pacey Witter showing up!

  7. I’m obsessed with honey too at the moment so I’m totally in love with this pudding!

  8. I’ve made a bazillion things this week for the first time too… now I might make a bazillion and ONE because this pudding looks faaaantastic!

  9. Those are some Ka-Ra-Zee dreams and I can’t even begin to analyze them. I wasn’t allowed to watch 90210 either!! Weren’t we cool. :)

    LOVE the sound of this pudding. I’m obsessed with honey lately also and can’t wait to try this!

  10. I’ve never seen 90210 either. But I DOOO maintain a pretty serious crush on Luke Perry because he calls into my local radio station morning show to play trivia and he gets them all right, making him smart and hot. Crush cemented. ANd I sort of have a crush on this pudding.

  11. I haven’t seen 90210 either! You are not alone.

    Um. salted caramel anything gets bookmarked to make. Thank you!

  12. I have never seen 90210 either! Those are some crazy dreams… But this salted honey caramel pudding?! Not crazy. Well, crazy amazing maybe. This looks fantastic!!!

  13. Ok, seriously, this PP thing needs to be dealt with. And by dealt with I mean back off, lady. He’s spoken for, thank you very much.

    But I might could be tempted with a little puddin’.
    Might.

    • he didn’t seem spoken for…but i’ll ask him if he shows up again.

      we can have a discussion about this next time we’re together, over cupcakes, in PP shirts. so i guess you better get one – or give me your address. or i won’t take you seriously.

  14. Pingback: Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, and Salted Caramel Layered Mousse Parfaits

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