Color study; pumpkin pudding

Last week at work while taking a break with Janet (when I served her some pumpkin pudding I had made)  I looked around and realized that everything I was doing that day seemed to be dominated by pumpkin color.  We are subliminally influenced after all… I thought you all might enjoy this brief photographic collage of those pumpkin colored things followed by the recipe for the pudding (you asked for it Janet!)

Photos in order top to bottom:  a mushroom in the woods during my walk, the new lip gloss color I made for Euchlora, my pumpkin spice latte, the flower in the garden outside my window at work, the pumpkin masque I developed for Euchlora, the flower-pot on my walk to lunch with David, my lunch with David at Gino’s, Portsmouth, NH.

Jane’s PUMPKIN PUDDING

Butter a 3 quart baking dish.  If you want a real custardy layer to form on the bottom of your pudding, use a deep dish.  If you prefer a more cobbler-like texture use a more flat dish.  Preheat oven to 400°.  Heat a tea kettle full of water to boiling; turn off heat.

Whisk together:

• 4 large eggs
• 1  15oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk OR low-fat milk with 1T vinegar added
• 4T (1/2 stick) melted butter, drizzled in slowly as you whisk.

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups natural cane sugar (sucanat for a strong molasses flavor, organic for a milder flavor) OR dark brown sugar of any kind
• 1 cup whole grain pastry flour; wheat or otherwise. [Gluten is not needed to make this pudding rise]
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Stir both mixtures together and pour into prepared dish.  Place this dish into another large baking pan and put in oven.  With oven rack pulled out, carefully pour the heated water from the tea kettle into the outer pan until the water comes up half way on the baking dish.  Push in rack, close door and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the both pans at once being very careful to not spill the hot, hot water on yourself.  Carefully lift pudding from the water bath and place on the counter.

Serve warm or cold.  This is especially delightful with whipped cream.

Please feel free to share this recipe.  All publication rights of any kind are reserved, however.