Marlborough Pudding

When we visited Rosewell Plantation this past summer, I brought home a little cookbook from the gift shop chock full of colonial-era recipes, including one for a tempting concoction called Marlborough Pudding, a uniquely American recipe that was a staple at the first Thanksgiving celebrations. It might surprise you to know that this isn't traditionally a pudding at all, but rather, a pie. A sort of "if they mated" between pumpkin pie and applesauce, with a little custardy goodness long tucked away somewhere in the family tree popping out in their offspring and making everyone scratch their heads and say, "Wonder where THAT came from." Oh dear, I fear I've stretched this metaphor too far but you get the picture.

I adapted the recipe a little for modern times, which is to say that I omitted the whole pie aspect because making pastry is a little more time-consuming than my schedule usually allows. Instead, I put the pudding back in Marlborough pudding. The result is a creamier, heartier version of baked applesauce, full of tartness and spiciness and all kinds of autumnal goodness.

Ingredients

4 large apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon and grated peel of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream (we use 1/4 cup coconut milk solids and 1/4 cup coconut milk for this since we're a dairy-free household. for more info, click here.)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Place apples in saucepan with about 1/2 cup water and cover. Stew over medium high heat until very tender and then drain. Pass the apples through a sieve to puree. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix the pureed apples, sugar, and lemon juice and peel in a bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and butter and stir until well blended. Pour the filling into a glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and keep baking for about 20-25 minutes more, or until mostly set but still slightly soft in the center. Remove from the oven and cool before serving.

Now I understand why this whole Thanksgiving thing caught on. Served with a dollop of (coconut) whipped cream on top and some graham crackers for dipping, this deliciousness is definitely something to be thankful for.

Have a great weekend! The winter holiday season officially begins next week -- are you ready for this?