First Day Issue: Postalo Vleeptron / Indian Pudding

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First Day Issue: Postalo Vleeptron

Indian Pudding

It's quite likely that this rich, dark, sweet, thick, bubbling-hot dish -- a perfect tummy-warming dessert for a cold winter meal -- was originally an American Indian recipe taught to European settlers in New England. The mollasses was added after the rise of the Atlantic/Caribbean trade in African slaves and sugar/molasses.

When prepared traditionally, the very long cooking time makes it a dish rarely seen in restaurants. (It hogs up the oven for half the day.) Cooked right, it's a pure gift of midwinter love for family and friends. We've had perfect results adapting the recipe from a slow oven to the crockpot, which can safely be left to cook unattended for hours.

Here ya go in English/metric/Fahrenheit/Celsius:

6 cups (1.42 liters) milk
.......(whole, not low-fat)
1 cup (237 ml) yellow corn (maize) meal
......(coarsely ground is best)
1/2 cup (118 ml) molasses
......(Grandma's or Brer Rabbit)
1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh ginger
.......or grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon (1.3 ml) baking soda
......(bicarbonate of soda)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 stick (113.4 grams) butter
......(margarine will do)

Watch the milk carefully for the instant when it starts to boil and scald, then remove from heat. Pour scalded milk slowly on the corn meal, then cook in double boiler 20 minutes.

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A double boiler is a special-purpose two-pot gimmick with boiling water in the lower pot, so the ingredients in the upper pot are gently heated in a bath of boiling water.

You can improvise with a big soup pot of boiling water on the burner, and immerse a smaller pot in the boiling water. Forks or spoons in the bottom pot will keep the top pot raised.

============

Add the other ingredients.

Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake 3 hours in a very slow (250°F = 120°C) oven.

OR

Pour into electric Slow Cooker = Crockpot, set on lowest temperature for 4 - 6 hours (the longer it cooks, the better).

Serve with cream, fresh-made whipped cream (not hard to make) or vanilla ice cream.