Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce

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This rich and creamy Italian dessert has layers of caramel and chocolate goodness that your spoon will thank you for!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Refrigeration Time5

Total Time5 50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Buttercream, Caramel, Chocolate, Cookie, Make-ahead

Servings:

Author: Nicole

1 cup finely ground chocolate cookie crumbs about 20 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt

Mix cookie crumbs, butter, and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a small bowl; cover and chill for garnish. Press 2 tablespoons of the remaining cookie mixture into the bottom of eight (8 ounce) jars or ramekins; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup milk and the cornstarch; set aside. Heat the remaining 2 ½ cups milk in a small saucepan just to a simmer; set aside. To make the caramel, in a separate heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and cook without stirring until thermometer reads 210ºF-220ºF.
Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in hot milk, then cornstarch mixture. Slowly whisk in caramel. Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and an instant read thermometer registers 175º F, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter, whiskey, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour ½ cup of the budino into each jar. Cover and chill until set, about 4-5 hours. (Can be made 1 day in advance.)

Place cream in a small bowl or pitcher. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add bean; set aside.
Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush until deep amber color forms, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually add the vanilla cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cold butter and salt. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool to room temperature. (Can be made 1 day in advance. Bring to room temperature before using).
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce over each budino. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle some of the reserved cookie crumbs over each. Enjoy!

Nutritional values do not include lightly sweetened whipped cream.