Indian Pudding

Photo by Tony Cenicola of the New York Times

from The New York Times

via Sue Gilbert

serves 8

Butter for baking dish

4 cups whole milk

1 cup fine-ground yellow cornmeal

½ cup molasses

4 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup raisins (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large pot, warm milk over medium-high heat until warm but not boiling. Whisk in cornmeal and molasses and cook, whisking, two minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.

Break eggs into medium bowl and beat. Slowly add ½ cup hot cornmeal mixture into eggs, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into pot, whisking constantly (you don’t want the eggs to scramble) and cook three minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in sugar, raisins, vanilla and ginger. Pour into prepared pan then place in a larger pan. Transfer to oven and carefully pour water into the larger dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the smaller pan.

Bake until the pudding is set, but still jiggles slightly in the center, 45 minutes to one hours. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

This is a traditional New England pudding, and is especially nice in the fall.