Stir corn meal, a little at a time, into the hot milk and cook over low heat or in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Mix together sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon, then stir into the corn-meal mixture. Add molasses and cold milk, mixing thoroughly. Pour into a 1-quart casserole and bake in a preheated 275° oven for 2 hours. Serve warm with whipped cream and a light sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg. Serves 6 to 8.
In February, 1809, Mrs. Samuel Harrison Smith, a prominent figure in Washington society, recorded in a letter to her sister-in-law that one of her guests, a Mr. Hauto, “to our great entertainment, had some difficulty in making way with his indian pudding and molasses, but when I assured him that this dish was immortalized by the greatest poet of our country [Joel Barlow], he made out to mortalize it.”
- 1/4 cup corn meal
- 2 cups hot milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup cold milk
- Whipped cream
- Nutmeg