Here’s the pumpkin pudding recipe from Larry Forgione that I wrote about in a story about An American Place. I’ve gotten a couple of requests for it. This is part of a dinner menu I haul out when I’m feeding people whose palates are conservative. (A nice soup to start, then roast chicken and a potato gratin – you get the idea.)
These days, one always has to explain that the pumpkin needed below is not the pre-mixed pumpkin pie filling that’s now in cans, too. It’s just canned pumpkin, although one can substitute roasted and puree-it-yourself pumpkin. In my experience, that tends to be watery, though, so drain it carefully, using a coffee filter. And, yes, I know that what we buy as pumpkin probably is another kind of gourd than pumpkin. Fine with me, thanks.
This is pretty much the way the original recipe was written, but I use a casserole that’s smaller than the requested 9×13. That’s because it’s easier to find a pan for the water bath around the baking pudding, at least at my house. This makes a thicker dish, but since you’re scooping it rather than nicely cutting it in squares, it’s no big deal. Just bake it a little longer; I add about 10 minutes but YMMV.
While Larry wants it served warm, it’s pretty fine nibbled cold from the fridge the next day, even without any whipped cream. That cream, by the way, looks nicer if it’s just softly whipped, so it can languorously drift down the side of each serving. I like to add just a little brandy to it, the way you might vanilla, before beating.
1 ½ c. unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 ½ c. buttermilk
¾ c. granulated sugar plus 1 Tbs sugar later
½ c. brown sugar
5 Tbs. butter melted and slightly cooled
3 eggs (room temp), beaten
1 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Make sure one rack in the oven is in the middle position. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside. Find another, larger pan that can hold the baking dish – you’re making a water bath for it.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
In a large bowl beat together the pumpkin and buttermilk until smooth. Stir in ¾ cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the eggs and mix until blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture a little at a time, whisking lightly but thoroughly after each addition. Pour the batter into the buttered dish and place that dish into the larger one. Add enough hot water to the outer pan to come about halfway up the side of the baking dish.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes longer. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Remove the pudding from the oven, brush with the remaining melted butter and evenly sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar over it. Serve the pudding warm, with whipped cream on the side.
Serves 6-8, but as always, you never know, do you?