Indian Pudding

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Sharon Wilson for this combination food funny and cautionary
tale:

My sister was newly married and working as a nurse at a local
hospital. They only had one car, so her husband had to pick her up
each day. One day the hospital cafeteria served peanut butter pie, my
brother-in-law's favorite. My sister bought a piece to take home to
him. That afternoon he was one hour late picking her up. After
waiting in front of the hospital all this time, she called his office
to see why he wasn't there yet. One of his (female) coworkers said,
"Oh, we were just having such a good time talking that he forgot all
about picking you up!" My brother-in-law was greeted by a slice of
peanut butter whipped cream pie in the face, and now 30 years later,
we still like to remind him of that!

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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The "Indian" in the name of this dish refers to the corn rather than
the inventors of the dish. In 17th century English, the word "corn"
was used to describe any grain, and "Indian corn" was used to
differentiate this New World crop from other grains. In England they
soon began to refer to it as maize, a term they borrowed from the
Spanish "maiz" (with an accent over the "i"), but the colonists
persisted in calling it "Indian corn." Eventually the "Indian" part
was dropped and we Americans now refer to simply as "corn." The corns
grown by the early colonists were primarily red and brown in color
(the yellow and white varieties were developed later), and this
dessert was notorious for its rich, blood red color.

Indian Pudding

5 cups (1.25 L) milk
1/3 cup (80 ml) cornmeal
3/4 cup (180 ml) molasses
4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
3 Tbs (45 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) ground ginger
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins (optional)

Combine 4 cups (1 L) of the milk and the cornmeal in a pot set over
another pot full of simmering water. Bring to a simmer and cook for
15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the remaining ingredients
and pour into a greased baking dish that is deeper than it is wide.
Bake in a preheated 300F (150C) for 1 hour. Pour the remaining 1 cup
(250 ml) milk over the pudding without stirring and bake an additional
2 hours. Serve hot or warm with cream or ice cream if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Fri Nov 21 08:59:15 2003