Cooking Butterscotch For Butterscotch Pots

Our answer

Nigella's Butterscotch Pots (from AT MY TABLE) are made by cooking brown sugar and butter to a smoky caramel sauce. This is then combined with cream and eggs to make a smooth custard, which is then chilled. The puddings themselves are not overly sweet, certainly not as sweet as the packaged dessert that Nigella took inspiration from. Instead they have a slightly smoky, bittersweet flavour.

It is unusual for the mixture to emit smoke before it bubbles, as caramel does not normally smoke until it reaches a temperature of least 170c (325F) and the mixture needs to come to the boil before it can reach this temperature. But one of the problems with making a caramel is that heating elements on stoves vary and saucepans do not always heat evenly, so hot spots can cause one part of the caramel in the pan to burn while the rest of the mixture has not reached the correct temperature. We would suggest maybe using a slightly lower heat while the sugar is dissolving, then turning the heat up once the butter and sugar mixture has become smooth. Whisk the mixture while the sugar is dissolving and when you turn up the temperature make sure that you swirl the pan frequently. Swirling the pan will help to even out the cooking of the caramel. Keep a close eye on the mixture and remove it once you see the first few wisps of smoke coming from the caramel. Let it cool slightly and if the caramel looks too light, return the pan to the heat and cook for tiny bit longer, swirling frequently, then check again to see if it has reached a deep teak colour.