I dug out a recipe for baked "Indian" pudding last week because my usual evening snack - ice cream - was making me too cold at night.The cornmeal-based pudding originated in New England. The pudding is somewhat similar to polenta, except that, rather than adding cornmeal to boiling water, the cornmeal is whisked into a mixture of milk and browned butter. Once the cornmeal has thickened, molasses, pumpkin pie spice and egg yolks are added. The pudding is then then baked for about one hour and chilled for two hours before being served.
The result is somewhat reminiscent of a pie without the pie crust. The molasses lends pudding a gingerbread-esque flavor, while the spices and texture invoke pumpkin pie. In short, it's a good dessert for this time of year.
