Indian Pudding

Indian pudding is one of the oldest dishes in the New England canon, a baked cornmeal and molasses pudding descended from the colonial hasty pudding, enriched by English settlers with eggs and spices. The name refers to "Indian meal" — the colonists' term for ground corn — not the subcontinent.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 960ml (4 cups) whole milk
• 90g (½ cup) stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 85g (¼ cup) blackstrap or dark molasses
• 55g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 120ml (½ cup) cold whole milk (poured over the top before baking)
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Butter a 1.5-litre (1½-quart) baking dish.
2. Heat 720ml (3 cups) of the milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal in a thin, steady stream to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10–12 minutes until the mixture thickens to a porridge consistency.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in the molasses, sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the butter melts.
4. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in the beaten eggs gradually (to avoid scrambling them). Pour into the prepared baking dish.
5. Pour the remaining cold milk over the top — do not stir. This creates the characteristic custardy layer that forms during the long bake.
6. Bake for 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes. The pudding is done when the edges are set and pulling away from the sides but the center still has a slight wobble. It will continue to set as it cools.
7. Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving warm. Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, which melts into the warm pudding.

Cook's Notes: The long, slow bake is essential — rushing it produces a grainy texture. Stone-ground cornmeal gives a more rustic, flavorful result than finely ground varieties. Leftovers reheat well in individual ramekins at 160°C (325°F) for 15 minutes. Indian pudding was the house specialty at Durgin-Park in Boston's Faneuil Hall, where it was served for nearly 200 years.