Warm Indian Pudding With Cold Ice Cream For the Crazy, Warm and Cold Weather

Happy Thursday! Lots to share today - from sweet to savory. First, the savory. Last night I made an easy brothy dish for dinner, using salmon instead of shrimp as my protein, and frozen artichokes from Trader Joe's. Upon finding the recipe online (because, though I love all of my readers, it's sometimes easier to find the versions of recipes from my cookbooks online), I noticed  the recipe was changed: halibut is now the protein. Still sounds delicious! Just note that I also sprinkled my salmon with some fresh chopped rosemary, which I highly recommend.

Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth
Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning fish
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning fish
• 2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound frozen artichokes, thawed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Directions

1. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the halibut and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Cook the fish on the grill pan until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute. 
3. Add the garlic and artichokes and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and stir, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. 
4. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
   
   
5. Ladle the artichoke and tomato broth into shallow bowls. Top with the grilled halibut. Serve immediately.

Now onto the sweet...

These recipes are for different versions of Indian pudding - something that's quite delicious, but not well-known. Top it with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream for added awesomeness. Time to embrace this hot and cold, up and down weather by making a hot and cold dessert!

Indian Pudding

Ed Brown, Ed's Chowder House

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for ramekins
• 5½ cups milk
• 1 (2") piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ⅔ cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tbsp. light molasses
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 stick cinnamon, halved
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°. Grease eight 4-oz. ramekins; set aside. Bring milk, ginger, and vanilla bean with seeds to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat; remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard ginger and vanilla bean. Return milk to saucepan and add sugar, cornmeal, molasses, syrup, and cinnamon; bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter, and remove from heat; discard cinnamon.
2. Pour mixture evenly among ramekins, and place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and the center jiggles slightly when the ramekins are tapped, about one hour. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then top with a scoop of ice cream to serve.

Indian Pudding

c.1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 3 cups half and half
• One 3inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch Pyrex loaf pan.
2. Combine the milk and cornmeal in a medium stainless or enamel saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until it is as thick as oatmeal.
3. Add the sugar, brown sugar, molasses, salt, butter, cloves and 2 cups of the half and half. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture back to a boil and transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
4. Place inside a larger pan and pour in boiling water until it rises halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring once after the first half hour.
5. Press the grated ginger against a fine sieve or squeeze it in a square of cheesecloth to extract 1 or 2 tablespoons of juice. After the pudding has baked for 1 hour, add the ginger juice and the remaining cup of half and half and stir to mix. Bake for an additional hour, stirring again after half an hour. Serve immediately in small bowls or cups, or store in the refrigerator and reheat, stirring, over low heat.

Indian Pudding

Bon Appetit October 1998

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine first 6 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens but can still be poured, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
2. Transfer pudding mixture to prepared baking dish. Bake pudding until golden brown and center no longer moves when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Scoop pudding into bowls. Top with ice cream or frozen yogurt and serve.

Happy baking!