Ingredients
1/4 cup maple syrup
3-5 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped roughly in half or so
1/2 teaspoon or 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, to taste
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup corn meal, yellow or white
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 cup buttermilk, or whole milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter for pan and topping
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of ground sumac, optional
1 tablespoon demerara sugar
warm maple syrup
splash of bourbon or brandy, optional
great vanilla ice cream, or possibly ginger ice cream
fresh grating of nutmeg, optional finish
2-3 ounces toasted pecans or walnuts, optional garnish
Preparation
Mix the syrup, salt, and sugar with spices together. Combine with the chopped cranberries. Let sit. Scald 2 cups of milk in a sauce pan. Quickly whisk in the corn meal, stirring continuously. You can use a double boiler, but I live dangerously. Whisk in the beaten egg and molasses. Cook for about 5 minutes. It should thicken up nicely. Add the cranberry mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Whisk in the buttermilk (or regular milk) thoroughly. Add the lemon zest. Pour into a generously buttered 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle the top with sumac and demerara sugar, maybe a dash of cinnamon. Add a few curls of unsalted butter, too. Place the dish in a bath of hot water for best results, but you can avoid this step if it seems like one step too many at this point. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 2 hours (it beats 7!) until the pudding has the thickness of a moist bread pudding. Check midway to stir the pudding. Stir the pudding again in the final hour, too. Take out and let cool for 20-30 minutes.
Scoop the warm pudding onto plates and top with warm maple syrup, a splash of spirit and a grating of nutmeg. Top with vanilla or ginger ice cream and a sprinkle of nuts.
