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| I remember eating custard and pudding first at my great-grandmother's and then at my grandmother's. Even when I was a child, my great grandmother cooked and baked on a wood cook stove. |
I kept a notebook belonging to my maternal grandmother in which she had written her most used recipes. The book is stained, tattered, and barely legible at times. Going through the notebook brings back memories of the dishes she used to prepare for us. This grandmother was not the old-fashioned type. My Nan came of age when our nation was consumed by the Second World War and she went to work in factories just like so many of the young women her age. For a time after the war, she stayed at home with my mother, an only child. Then my grandfather responded to his calling as a preacher and moved the family to another state to get an education. In full support of the man she loved, Nan packed up her house and moved hundreds of miles away. My mother went to school and Nan went back to work to help put my grandpa through college. With a big grin, my Pa always explained to folks that he crammed four years of college into eight. A horrible wreck that left him in a wheelchair set him back and he was at an educational disadvantage having never attended high school. During this time, he was also working to financially support his family and pastoring a small mountain church. Nan went to work at Kroger as a cashier to do her part and seemed to enjoy it. A woman of great physical beauty, she always managed to look fresh and in style, no matter the current fashions or her age. She was equally at home in the wilds of Alaska as she was meeting someone of high social standing. Her adventurous, yet warm and gentle spirit enveloped all those she met and everyone felt at ease in her presence.
The favorite recipes in Nan's notebooks are an eclectic mix of magazine clippings using popular processed foods that were ready in an instant and more traditional recipes that she remembered from her childhood and preserved. Because she often cooked for large crowds, whether it be her family, a church potluck, a mission crew visiting from another state, the daycare she started and managed, or the associational church camp, she often needed food that was quick, simple, economical, and easily multiplied. Yet, among these recipes (such as chicken casserole using Stove Top Stuffing and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup) are classic recipes she received from her mother who was born at the end of the Victorian Era (such as the egg custard and cornstarch pudding recipe that I am sharing here).
Who even eats pudding anymore even with the convenience of the instant variety? Once a staple, made-from-scratch pudding takes simple flavors and blends them into a smooth, creamy, tongue-pleasing sensation that is unlike anything you may have ever tasted. The flavors are enhanced when you are able to use the farm-fresh ingredients I have at my disposal. I don't consider the extra time spent stirring the ingredients over a hot stove a burden as it gives me the moments I need to reconnect with my past and the strong women whose influence helped to make me who I am today.
Baked Custard
(An Old Family Recipe)
4 eggs slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Nutmeg as desired
Combine eggs, sugar, and salt. Stir milk in gradually. Add vanilla. Pour into custard cups or quart casserole dish. Set in a larger oven-safe dish and surround custard cups with water. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the tip of an inserted knife comes out clean.
Cornstarch Pudding
(An Old Family Recipe)
1/3 Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 Cups of Milk
1 1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla
Mix sugar, cornstarch & salt in a 2-quart, heavy pan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into dessert dishes. (I cannot read the rest of the original page as it's too tattered.)
Vanilla Pudding
(Similar to the above recipe but includes eggs and butter for a more complex taste)
3/4 Cup of Sugar
3 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
3 Cups of Milk
4 Beaten Egg Yolks
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a heavy pan. (I use a double boiler.) Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and boiling. Stir vigorously for two minutes. Remove from heat and gradually stir one cup of this hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Add the egg yolk and milk mixture slowly to the pan, stirring thoroughly. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into dessert dishes and refrigerate.
