Cornmeal Pudding with Coconut and Cranberries

 

Would it be suffice to say that listening to the sounds, while enunciating each syllable in the words “cornmeal pudding” creates such nostalgia, that would prompt you to immediately reach for your phone, and reserve an airline ticket for a exclusive trip to the islands? Isn’t cornmeal pudding reminiscent of your childhood? Isn’t this one of those childhood favorites? Isn’t this one of those desserts will have you yearning for your grandmother. My grandmother, Ms Dulcie prepared cornmeal pudding with such grace and love, that regardless of the size of the pan she made, she would run out of hands to feed all those that  demanded a slice….and she had an enormous baking pan; one that resembles the pan you would use to cook paella.

Ms Dulcie, I love you and I thank you for giving birth to my mom, otherwise I would not exist or become the awesome food enthusiast that I am today. I thank your for raising me. Thank you for passing down your genetic culinary traits.  Over the years, as I developed a deeper love and fascination for food, I finally realized that it was all because of you. Yes, Ms Dulcie you are the reason behind my passionate for food. It’s definitely in the blood line. I am forever blessed and grateful that I am able to demonstrate that I can replicate your pudding, and  honored to cut you a slice and listen to you utter the words, “Denise it taste good. It really taste good.” I’m lost… in my thoughts…in a world where I was just a child….happy moments….supportive family…and cornmeal pudding. Yeah …who can guess dis one: fiyah a top, fiyah a bottom, hallelujah inna di middle? There is smile on my face, as I chuckle. That was the riddle for puddings, which was usually sweet potato or cornmeal pudding. My grandma didn’t use an oven for this. She used a charcoal stove with fire underneath and a sheet metal zinc to cover the top. The fire from top and bottom conducted in the same manner that a convectional oven would…BUT BETTER! I have never seen my grandma bake ANYTHING in our oven. It was always on the charcoal stove.  What was even better was the the caramel on top of the pudding.  I  lived for that sweet, soft yet crispy topping.

My grandma sort of guided me through the preparation of  the caramel sauce, which is the topping for pudding. I had used up all of the coconut milk and had forgotten to save a cup for this process. I improvised and used evaporated milk instead. It was amazing,  but something deep down inside tells me that it would have been magnificent with the coconut milk. I’m a coconut fanatic. I buy lots of coconut, about three each week. I can sit and eat raw coconut meat all day long. I blend it to make coconut milk, use it in smoothies and add it to my cakes, just like I did to this cornmeal pudding.

I usually use one of two methods to prepare cornmeal pudding. Here is an easy recipe:

Cornmeal Pudding with Coconut and Cranberries
1 whole Coconut (cut up)
6 cups of water (5 cups for blending coconut) (reserve 1 cup for later)
2 3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup melted butter
3 cups cornmeal
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tspn kosher salt
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn nutmeg
3 vanilla beans
2 cups cranberries

For Caramel on top
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tspn cinnamon powder
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1/ cup of sugar (Blend and set aside)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 AND PLACE 13 X 9 BAKING PAN TO HEAT
(This will prevent all cranberries from sitting on the bottom of the pan)

Directions:
Add coconut meat and 5 cups of water to blender
Blend until smooth

 

Strain Set aside coconut shreds and coconut milk

In large bowl add cornmeal, sugar, flour, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and kosher salt.
Stir to combine

Add coconut milk, evaporated milk and water
Stir until mixture is smooth

Add vanilla beans and stir into mixture

Add melted butter and fold in 1 cup of coconut shreds (If you are a coconut lover use 2 cups)

Fold in cranberries

Remove baking dish from oven and grease

Pour mixture into greased 13 x 9 baking dish

Bake for 1/2 hour then remove from oven

Tip: Test the texture of the batter with a toothpick
Is the batter still soft or hard? Does the cornmeal appear to be cooked or binding?

Once the cornmeal is cooked/hard, use a tooth pick to pierce tiny holes on the top and pour caramel mixture over the top.

Return to oven and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Depending on your oven, it may take another hour to bake.

Remove from oven. Allow to cool and enjoy!

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