MetLife Crew's Dessert

Root Beer Budino

Ingredients

24 oz heavy cream
12 oz whole milk
4 each egg yolks
2 each eggs
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup + 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
8 oz root beer
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 oz Scotch whiskey

Steps

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside. 
2. Set a fine-mesh strainer in the smaller bowl and reserve for later.
3. Stir the heavy cream and milk together in a medium bowl.
4. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, eggs and cornstarch together.
5. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, combine the dark brown sugar, root beer and salt.
6. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the sugar is smoking, nutty smelling and a very dark caramel color (10 -12 minutes – The sugar will become foamy and lava-like with slow-bursting bubbles)
7. Reduce the heat to low and immediately add the cream/milk mixture in a thin, steady stream, stirring with a whisk as you add it, which will cause the sugar to seize.
8. Increase the heat to high and cook until the sugar has dissolved once again, about 5-7 minutes.
9. Turn off the heat.
10. Temper the cream mixture into the egg mixture, one ladle at a time, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. 
11. Continue adding the cream until you have incorporated about half. 
12. Gradually add the contents of the bowl to the saucepan with the remaining mix. 
13. Cook the custard over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened and starts to bubble.
14. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the butter and whiskey.
15. Pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl set in the ice and allow to cool to room temperature.
16. Ladle the custard into your desired vessel and allow to chill for several hours in the refrigerator.