FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Baked Indian Pudding

jmcquown[_2_]

On 3/2/2019 12:00 PM, wrote:
> I've learned to be skeptical when it comes to salt in recipes. This one - from the "The Old Farmer's Almanac Colonial Cookbook" (64 pages, stapled) - calls for a quart of milk and...1 tsp. salt. I thought "you've got to be kidding." I cut it to 1/2 tsp. and I'm very glad. Maybe it should be even less. I think there should be less than 1/2 cup molasses as well. Next time, we'll see.
>
> Btw, in a certain large hardcover Amish/Mennonite cookbook, the brownie pudding - under some other name - also called for 1 tsp. salt. I doubt many would prefer it that way. It wasn't for a huge pudding, after all.
>
> So here's the modified list for the first dish:
>
> 1 quart milk
> 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1/2 cup molasses
> 3/4 tsp ginger
> 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
> 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
>
> Heavy cream (for serving with)
>
>
> I grated my own nutmeg.
>
> It called for a baking pan of 8" x 10", which I didn't have, so I used a larger one instead. (I cut the baking time from 2 hours to 90 minutes.) One also has to cook it in a double boiler for 25 minutes first.
>
>
> Lenona.
>
>
How old are those recipes? If they were truly based on Colonial-era
cooking I'm betting they made large quantities and added more salt to
account for long-term storage. Not being familiar with puddings, I'd
have to wonder are the results supposed to be custardy or bready?

Jill