Pudding-y Custards

[stellabella]

Does anyone other than me crave warm, sweet pablum on a cold dry winter day?

One of my dearest friends put together a tiny little booklet a few years ago: Breakfast Puddings for Kings and Queens. I daresay that any one of her little sweet cups will make the jewels in your crown twinkle more brightly. Here's a great one for January:

Indian Pudding

2 t + 2 T butter

2/3 c sugar [i use Cajun Crystals dried cane sugar]

1/2 c yellow cornmeal

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t cinnamon

4 c milk, divided

4 large aigs, i mean eggs

1/3 c molasses

preheat oven to 350. butter 8-10 6 oz custard cups with 2 t melted butter. combine cornemeal, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a bowl. heat 3 cups milk in saucepan over medium heat until very hot, then slowly stir in cornmeal mixture [use whisk if you need to].reduce heat and simmer til thick, stir contsantly, 10 mins. stir in 2 T butter and let cool 10 mins. combine 1 c milk, eggs, molasses then whisk into cornmeal mixture. pour into custard cups, placed in shallow pan with boiling water halfway up sides. bake 35 minutes--tops will rise and puff and crackle, and will collapse when cool. the texture is divine.

and of course this is a great opportunity to use your thousands of custard cups. well, i have lots of them. they're so cute.

any other homemade pudding or custard recipes out there?

Edited January 12, 2003 by stellabella (log)

[Toby]

Thanks for the recipe, Stellabella. What is Cajun Crystals dried cane sugar -- what does it look like and where do you get it?

[stellabella]

it looks like a bag of turbinado sugar, but it is in fact dried cane sugar--has that characteristic taste. i get them at the dekalb farmer's market in atlanta--i only discovered it about 6 months ago--may be a fairly new product.

[ChocoChris]

Sounds good! I luuuuv puddings/custards. I'll try this one tonight.

Thanks!

[Suvir Saran]

I love puddings and custards. Thanks for this great recipe.

Do you use fresh ginger? Ginger powder? And if you use fresh, do you mince it very finely?

I am guessing it is ginger powder, but I want to be sure.

Again, thanks for the recipe and sparking a dialogue on custardy puddings.... They are the best.

[wingding]

As someone enamored of steeping flavors,I'd give an aside to the recipe.Heat the milk to a simmer,and steep some coarse chopped fresh ginger in the milk.Let it stand for an hour,strain,and continue the recipe.[remeasure the milk,and compensate for any loss of quantity]Steeping flavors is the best-you can retain a smooth texture while getting fresh, maximum flavor...[lots!]

Edited January 13, 2003 by wingding (log)

[stellabella]

suvir, i used powdered ginger , but i think wingding has answered your question better.

[Suvir Saran]

suvir, i used powdered ginger , but i think wingding has answered your question better.

I do it the way wingding does it. But that is not what many do.

Wanted to make sure.

Thanks for the recipe.