Butterscotch Pudding: Will it Waffle?

In my quest to waffle anything and everything, sometimes I make some ... interesting choices.  Like trying to waffle one of my favorite desserts: butterscotch pudding.

As you can guess, the answer to Butterscotch Pudding: Will it Waffle? is a resounding no, but that doesn't mean I didn't still get something tasty to eat out of it!

The Original: Butterscotch Pudding.

The original was classic butterscotch pudding.  Real butterscotch pudding.  Not the kind made with "butterscotch morsels".  The real stuff.  The kind that is the labor of love.  The kind that takes serious minding on the stove.  Egg yolks, cream, butter, brown sugar, cornstarch, uh, whiskey ...

I know real butterscotch pudding when I taste it.  My grandmother is "famous" for her butterscotch pie, thick, legit butterscotch pudding, topped with lightly toasted meringue.  I grew up with that as my reference point for butterscotch pudding, and I never understand how others can eat plastic-y, fake, "butterscotch", and think it is butterscotch.

But, as I don't like meringue, I always thought the pie was overkill.  I mean, I like a good pie crust, but, really, I just wanted a big bowl of the filling, topped with some whipped cream.  I learned to make it several years ago, and now, every holiday season, I help my mom make the butterscotch, following my grandmother's recipe.  Ours might not be quite as good as hers, but, I think we have it down.  One time though, I discovered something.  I've always had the butterscotch pudding chilled and set, in the pie.  When making it myself, I had the pleasure of licking the bowl and spoons as I  cleaned up.  The pudding was still warm.  And it was wonderful.  Warm butterscotch pudding is absolutely amazing, I don't know why we normally have it chilled.

Anyway.  I had a bunch of fantastic butterscotch pudding.  It was delicious, deep real butterscotch flavor, thick set.  I had a couple little cups like a normal person, but couldn't help but ponder ... will it waffle?

Uh, cooking?

So, into the waffle iron I put several spoonfuls.  It instantly splattered and started bubbling away.  It was thick, but thinned instantly as it warmed.  Uh-oh.

It ... did not waffle.  I didn't crust it, and I heated up something that turns more runny when it is warmed up.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, really.

I had a mess on my hands, and it was clear that it wasn't ever going to take shape, nor be easy to remove.  Doh.

So I grabbed chopsticks, and just started extracting little bits.  It might have been a mess, but, the warm pudding was still delicious.  As it slowly cooled, it thickened back up again, and became easier to extract.

So, a waffle I did not have, but I still managed to eat every last bit, warm and delicious, uh, direct from my waffle iron.

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Travelin' Tuesday: Lisbon, the master post

Yup, I went to Portugal for the first time, back in September.  I stayed primarily in Lisbon, although I ventured slightly further away for two days to Cascais.

I didn't pick Lisbon for tourism, and certainly not food the cuisine, I was there for a conference.  As such, my dining was mostly limited to large groups, although I did explore the bakeries a bit on my own.  While the majority of the dining was very lackluster, there were two strong points, that I still think back on and start to drool.

The reason to go to Lisbon: Life changing egg tarts.

Bakeries / Treats

• Go to Pastéis de Belém. That is all.
• Really good froyo, with a unique fun topping I can't stop thinking about, Weeel.
• A Padaria Portuguesa, where I discover just how good Pão de Deus can be! Soft, fluffy, slightly sweet, pull apart bread with a delicious topping ... swoon.
• Sacolinha, a bakery chain in Portugal.  I got to try some unknown items, but not were awesome.
• Soft serve Cornetto machine?!!

Breads & Spreads at Largo.

Restaurants

• Ground Burger: Great pedigree, but the restaurant crumpled under our group size.
• More large group dining at Largo. Meh. The bread and spread were good.
• Charming setting, not touristy, but, mediocre group dinner at As Salgadeiras.  
• Of course I went to McDonald's.  Had to check out the local specialties! 

Breakfast Feast @ Sheraton, Cascais.

Hotels

• Lobby Bistro:  large, but highly mediocre, breakfast buffet at the Sheraton Lisboa.
• A highly unimpressive club lounge, Sheraton Lisboa.
• Breakfast buffet at Glass, Sheraton, Cascais. Finally, an excellent breakfast buffet! Extensive selection, quality, and tasty!

Meal on TAP Portugal.

Airports / Flights

• A tale of two Pão de Deus in the Lisbon airport.
• TAP Airlines: The sandwich "snack" didn't impress, but the hot meal wasn't awful (although still economy dining). 

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