Indian Pudding

In her 1796 cookbook, American Cookery, Amelia Simmons
offered three versions of "A Nice Indian Pudding,"
including one that had to be steamed for 12 hours
(although in the book's second edition, Simmons reduced this
to a mere 6 hours).

It was the Wampanoag tribe that introduced the early English colonists to corn—not the sweet corn we know, but a large, tough-kerneled variety that was dried and ground into a coarse meal. And because the word "corn" in 17th-century English meant simply grain or kernel (as in barleycorn, for example), the colonists called this newfound ingredient "Indian corn."

Most early recipes for ground Indian corn, or Indian meal, were savory porridges, because sugar wasn't available in the Colonies. But by the 18th century, with the arrival of sugar and molasses, cooks had adapted their favorite sweet pudding recipes to Indian meal, most notably the rich and fragrant dish we know as Indian pudding.

The first printed recipe in the United States appeared in 1796, when Amelia Simmons published her little book, American Cookery. Generally regarded as the first American cookbook, it contained recipes for such uniquely native ingredients as Indian meal, pumpkin, and cranberries. However, Simmons's Indian pudding recipe is a little vague, so we fast-forwarded to one published in 1837 in Directions for Cookery, by Eliza Leslie, which was (relatively) more explicit. We also took some liberties. For example, in place of the traditional molasses, we opted for brown sugar, which has a less overwhelming taste.

Indian Pudding

Makes 8 servings
Indian pudding is a love-it-or-hate-it dessert. If you don't like dense puddings (think of plum pudding), then you probably won't like this. But if you are in the love-it camp, then this will really fill the bill. It's especially good served with a creamy topping. We opted for a mixture of Greek yogurt and maple syrup, but you could also serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream or even ice cream.

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 cup dark or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
3 large eggs
1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter six 6-ounce ramekins or an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the cornmeal and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the milk to moisten the cornmeal thoroughly, then stir in the remaining 1 cup milk. Over medium heat, cook the cornmeal mixture, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest.
4. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Stir 1 cup of the hot cornmeal mixture into the eggs to warm them, then stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan to combine thoroughly.
5. Scrape the batter into the ramekins or baking dish. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour hot water to come halfway up their sides (This is not necessary for the single baking dish.) Bake for 55 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a small serving bowl, whisk together the yogurt and maple syrup. Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature topped with the maple cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Chocolate-Almond Indian Pudding: Omit the lemon zest and nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder in step 3, when stirring in the butter and brown sugar. And 1/4 teaspoon almond extrac and 1/2 cup slivered almonds to the batter.

East-West Indian Pudding: Try adding East Indian spices: Omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and add 1 teaspoon cardamom and 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger. Use light brown sugar instead of dark. Cook 1/2 golden raisins with the cornmeal in step 2.

[This article first appeared in the November/December 2006 issue of Hallmark Magazine.]