INDIAN PUMPKIN PUDDING

Indian Pumpkin Pudding image

Indian pudding is an old-fashioned American dessert made with cornmeal, milk and molasses. I added pumpkin to the mix and came up with a deeply satisfying pudding, like pumpkin pie without the crust. I enjoy it warm or cold (I've been eating the remains of my recipe test with yogurt for breakfast).

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories dessert

Time 2h30m

Yield Serves eight to 10

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 quart low-fat milk
6 tablespoons stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup mild honey
2 cups pumpkin purée, canned or made from 2 pounds fresh pumpkin (see below)
4 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Steps:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole, soufflé dish or Dutch oven.
Pour the milk into a 3- or 4-quart pot or saucepan, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, and slowly stream in the cornmeal while whisking the milk. Turn the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring, until the mixture has the consistency of runny cream of wheat. Stir in the molasses and honey, and continue to simmer, stirring, for five minutes. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the pumpkin until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and add the remaining ingredients. Pour into the buttered casserole, scraping in every bit with a rubber spatula.
Place in the oven, and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours until set; a knife should come out clean when inserted, and the top should be just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 158, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 26 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 6 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 248 milligrams, Sugar 21 grams, TransFat 0 grams