Cornmeal Pudding with Raisins
Cornmeal Pudding
Cornmeal pudding is a sweet, moist Jamaican dessert. Its texture is somewhere between a soft pudding and a cake. Cornmeal is combined with sugar, raisins and baking spices to create a treat especially the men seem to love.
Serves 14
Prep Time 15 min
Cook Time 1 hr
FOR THE CORNMEAL PUDDING
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 6 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 lb brown sugar
- 1 whole cinnamon leaf
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 packet powdered milk
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
FOR TOPPING
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 oz brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot, pour coconut milk, 4 cups water, margarine, raisins, sugar and cinnamon leaf. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Combine the cornmeal, flour, powdered milk, nutmeg, salt, vanilla essence, and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl.
- Add remaining 2 1/2 cups water to bowl.
- Add cornmeal mixture to the boiling pot and stir briskly.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour into a greased (10 inch) baking pan, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine milk, remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 2oz sugar and mix until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the pudding mixture and bake for one hour.
Adapted from Grace Foods
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Hi Chef.
Rick here from Georgia , USA .
I am so going to make your Cornmeal Pudding w/ raisens this coming weekend. Got one question, in the recipe when you say to use one packet powdered milk, about how much is that in measurement? Because I haven’t seen it sold in packets here. Absolutely think your show is awesome! Watch it on Georgia Public TV. Thanks for all you do.
Hi Rick, apologies we took so long to reply. You can try using the 3.2oz packet of Carnation milk which should be easy to find in your grocery store anywhere in the US. Enjoy!
I am a little confused on 3 of the ingredients i the Cornmeal Pudding. When it calls for cinnamon leaf, are you talking about a cinnamon stick? If not, where can I go to find the cinnamon leaf. The other is vanilla essence. Is that the same as vanilla extract and if not, once again, where I can I find it as I have never seen it in the grocery stores here in Alabama. And the item is the size of the packet of the powered milk. Are you talking about a pint or quart size? I can’t wait to make this recipe but am so confused on these items. Thanks so much for clearing this up for me.
Hi Beverley. Thanks for asking these great questions!
Cinnamon leaf is the dried leaf of the cinnamon plant (similar to bay leaf). You can actually use a bay leaf instead. Vanilla extract is the more organic and more expensive version of vanilla essence. We often go for the more cost effective option in the Caribbean community but if you have access to essence it actually tastes a little better so go for it! Regarding the milk powder, you can try Carnation Milk powder in the 3.2 oz package. Milk powder gives a creamier flavor than whole milk does so I would encourage you to stick with this option for the taste. Packets are typically around 3oz (and approximations are usually fine in Caribbean cooking 😉 ). Happy cooking!
Beverley’s questions were also mine! I also want to know if this is best served as a dessert? & warm, cold or room temperature? Is a pound of brown sugar (2 cups) really correct?
Hi Pam, we replied to Beverly’s questions so hopefully you found some answers in that response. Regarding your additional questions, this is definitely a dessert, and a delicious one at that! The recipe was tested by Grace Kitchens so yes, 2 cups of sugar is correct. When we do dessert in Jamaica, sweet consciousness is not front of mind. Just maybe portion control. 😉
It can be served either slightly warm with ice cream if you like (although it has a creamy texture on its own). And it actually tastes really good chilled or at room temp as well. Personally, I’m a fan of slightly warm, no ice cream. Enjoy!