New England Corn Pudding (Indian Pudding 1)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Lightly grease a 6 or 8 cup soufflé dish with butter.
• In a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat, scald the milk.
• While the milk is heating, pour the cream into a medium sized bowl and stir in the cornmeal, sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.
• Add the cornmeal mixture to the scalded milk and cook, whisking constantly over medium-low heat until the pudding has thickened to the consistency of syrup (about 5 minutes).
• Remove it from the heat.
• In a small bowl with a whisk, beat the eggs.
• Add 1/2 cup of the hot cornmeal mixture to the eggs while whisking rapidly.
• Then vigorously whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining cornmeal mixture.
• Add the butter and stir until it melts.
• Pour the pudding into the prepared baking dish, and place the dish in a shallow baking pan on the center oven rack.
• Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pudding baking dish.
• Bake the pudding until it is set and a tester inserted close to but not in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Remove the pudding from the water bath and cool slightly.
• Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or heavy cream spooned over the top.