Budino al Caramello | Italian Caramel Budino

1 hour ago
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Budino al Caramello — Piedmont, Italy.

Story of the Dish

Caramel budino sits between comfort food and serious pastry. Milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and caramel are familiar ingredients, but the entire quality of the dessert depends on the color and bitterness of the caramel.

Unlike caramel panna cotta, this dessert gets its body from yolks and starch. The finished custard should be glossy and smooth, moving from sweet cream to toasted sugar and finishing with a faint bitter note.

Servings and Timing

Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Chilling Time: At least 3 hours

Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar for caramel
1/4 cup granulated sugar for custard
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp water, 1/3 cup warm cream, and 1 tbsp butter for salted caramel finish

Preparation

Caramelize 1/2 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan until deep amber.
Carefully add milk and cream, return to low heat, and stir until caramel dissolves.
Whisk remaining sugar and cornstarch with yolks, then temper with the warm caramel dairy.
Return to the saucepan and whisk over medium-low heat until thick, then simmer 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, strain, portion, and chill at least 3 hours.
For the finish, caramelize the second sugar with water, add warm cream, then butter and salt. Cool and use sparingly.

Professional Technique

Cook caramel by color rather than time. The right deep amber stage contributes enough bitterness to make the custard complex rather than merely sweet.