Meet Your New "Secret" Recipe: Autumn Indian Pudding

The rich and flavorful dessert that you've been dreaming of.
The rich and flavorful dessert that you've been dreaming of.

Though this classic New England dessert has a somewhat lackluster appearance, once you taste its rich, comforting flavor and extraordinarily creamy texture, all will be forgiven. Not unlike pumpkin pie, but without a crust, this cinnamon-spiced pudding bakes slowly, warming your kitchen and filling your home with the wonderful fragrance of sugar, spice and everything nice.

Ingredients

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, medium grind preferable
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup molasses, not blackstrap
1/4 cup maple syrup, grade B preferable
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream for serving

Related: 21 autumn apple recipes that'll steal the show on Thanksgiving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Place cornmeal in a large saucepan. Slowly whisk in half the milk, making sure there are no lumps.

3. Whisk in the remaining milk, molasses, maple syrup, egg, butter, spices and baking soda. Place the saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly, taking care to reach the corners of the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.

4. When the mixture is boiling softly, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds more. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking dish. Bake until pudding bubbles around the edges and the surface becomes a darker brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm.

- By Alison Needham

For 15 time-tested Thanksgiving recipes that never disappoint, visit Spoonful!

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