Indian Pudding

Recipe No. 116 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Desserts. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

Milk, evaporated — 23 — 14½-ounce cans

• Water (for milk) — 10½ quarts (10½ No. 56 dippers)
• Cornmeal — 3½ pounds (3½ mess kit cups)
• Sugar, granulated — 5 pounds (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Ginger — 1¼ ounces (7 mess kit spoons)
• Cinnamon — ⅞ ounce (4 mess kit spoons)
• Salt — 2¼ ounces (4½ mess kit spoons)
• Molasses — 4¼ quarts (4¾ No. 56 dippers)
• Butter, melted — 2 pounds (1 No. 56 dipper)

Directions

Key ingredients

Cinnamon · Evaporated Milk · Molasses

1. Mix milk and water; heat slowly until a slight film forms on top of the milk.
2. Add cornmeal slowly, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, 20 minutes or until thick.
3. Add remaining ingredients; mix thoroughly.
4. Pour into baking pans. Bake in slow oven (250° to 300° F.) 3 hours without stirring.
5. Serve warm or cool.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Milk, evaporated — 1¾ can(s) (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 3⅓ cups Cornmeal — 4½ oz Sugar, granulated — 6⅓ oz Ginger — about ⅔ tsp Cinnamon — about ½ tsp Salt — about 1 tsp Molasses — 1⅓ cups Butter, melted — 2½ oz

⚠ As printed, the manual is inconsistent here — “Ginger: 1¼ ounces (7 mess kit spoons)”: 1¼ oz, but 7 spoons x 0.25 oz = 1.75 oz. Transcribed exactly as printed; the parenthetical Army measure is usually the safer one to follow.

⚠ As printed, the manual is inconsistent here — “Molasses: 4¼ quarts (4¾ No. 56 dippers)”: 4¼ quarts = 17/4 qt, but gloss says 4¾ dippers = 19/4 qt. Transcribed exactly as printed; the parenthetical Army measure is usually the safer one to follow.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 116, Desserts. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.