This is my favorite fall and winter dish. It's like an awesome pumpkin pie, sans traditional crust. Like a clafouti, this pudding makes it's own "crust" and is sliceable when cooled down. Beautifully spiced and rich, it has a layer of crunchy caramelized nuts on top. This is an easy and flexible recipe where you can play with the ingredients and their proportions - here are some tips. The aroma of this dish baking in the oven is absolutely heavenly...
Patty
3 - 4 c cooked winter squash (pumpkin, butternut...)
1/2 c milk or milk-substitute
1/2 c juice (orange, carrot or mango) OR milk or milk-substitute
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 - 1/3 c brown sugar (or: sucanat, honey, agave)
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 c flour of your choice: fine whole spelt, wheat, corn, gluten-free mix
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp each: salt, cloves
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
*1/8 tsp cardamom (*optional)
*1/2 tsp freshly grated orange zest (*optional)
* a pinch of dried crushed lavender flowers (*optional)
Puree the cooked squash with wet ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Generously butter a medium pan or casserole with about a tablespoon of room temperature butter. (*If you want to make a "nut crust" sprinkle 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts and/or pecans into the buttered pan - *optional.) Spread the batter in. Sprinkle with the following combined mixture on top:
1/2 - 1 c chopped walnuts and/or pecans
1/4 c pepitas
*1 - 2 Tbsp melted butter (*optional)
*1 - 2 Tbsp brown sugar, sucanat, honey, or agave (*optional)
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for about 40 min. If you are using all honey or agave, bake at 350. (If it browns too fast, lower the temperature further.) It is ready when the top is lightly browned and starting to crack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store covered in the fridge. (It firms up enough to slice after it's refrigerated.)
Enjoy :-)
September 8, 2008 - 20:13
Hi, Patty - I made your pumpkin pudding today and it is a keeper, for sure. I usually leave the crust of the pie, too, so this gets right to the point! My 3 year old loves it, too, which is great b/c pumpkins are very good for you. Thanks for posting this.
September 10, 2008 - 17:34
Awesome, thanks for the feedback :)
October 31, 2008 - 13:43
Hello dear, this is just to tell you (I forgot when I did) that I took this wonderful recipe of yours for my stash of "must try" files... (by the way, it is getting pretty damn fat).
Shame on me, I also forgot to tell you in that moment how much I liked this version.
I adore pumpkin and since it is a complex carb with low GI this is the perfect recipe for me to use all the tones of pumpkins I´ve bought (I REALLY love this bountiful season) and pumpkins are soooo cheap... I could live the whole autumn just with pumpkins, apples and cinnamon, hahaha; then in winter I switch to oranges and tangerines (here in Mallorca we have not very pretty but WONDERFUL tasting citrics)...
I have made your pudding and it has been sooooo good that I have written down the recipe (just with a very tiny changes, you know, we are all the same on this matter...) and I will post it soon in my blog, giving you the proper credit you deserve. It will be my pleasure to let all my Spanish readers know where I got this wonderful recipe.
I will tell you when I post this.
My warmest thanks for another wonderful recipe, in did.
Best wishes from Mallorca.
November 1, 2008 - 16:32
Thank you Adi, you're so sweet in all the good ways. I feel the same way about pumpkins and winter squashes - they are so delicious, nutritious, and beautiful. They look lovely sitting on the counter, and last for months too, really the perfect fall/winter food.
I'm looking forward to seeing your version! :-)
November 5, 2008 - 10:01
Hi,
I found your recipe when I Googled. Can you tell me if you can freeze this?
I was thinking of making a couple and putting some away in the freezer.
Thanks for letting me know.
November 9, 2008 - 12:28
Hi Jeanette,
I haven't tried freezing this yet. I have used frozen pre-baked squash before and it's not as good as fresh-baked squash... so I think it would be best fresh, but since this pudding is not exactly delicate, freezing may be fine. I guess one could try freezing the batter, then letting it thaw and spreading it in a baking dish and topping with nuts (or freeze it ready-to-bake, dish and all) - or possibly freeze a pre-baked one.
If you do try freezing the pudding, please let us know how it goes!
December 8, 2008 - 18:06
i didn't use frozen pumpkin but i did freeze the pie after i baked it and it still was quite delicious! frozen pie mmmmm. also i found that i needed to lower the heat while baking because the edges started to cook too quickly. i baked it in a round glass pie dish - i think it would work better in a square dish since there isn't the traditional crust to protect the sides of the pumpkin.
December 11, 2008 - 11:45
Good to know :-) Thanks for the great feedback Jodi. Happy baking!
July 23, 2009 - 15:25
this recipe looks DIVINE! One question though, can you substitute canned pumpkin? It would be a time-saver and more convenient for year-round cooking! Just curious...Cant wait to try this!!!
July 29, 2009 - 09:41
For sure!
October 12, 2009 - 13:55
hi patty,
i am making this intriguing dessert tonight for thanksgiving, it sounds amazing! just wondering about the amount of servings for this recipe? thanks,
kaleema
November 14, 2009 - 10:11
Hi Kaleema,
That depends on how much squash you use and how big you like your servings... This makes about 6-8 servings. A little late, but happy Thanksgiving. :)
November 20, 2009 - 18:19
Patty-
Any suggestions for modifying this for my son's Thanksgiving feast for his 1st grade class? I need to provide about 40 servings of pumpkin pudding, in individual portions (I have have some plastic individual containers).
November 21, 2009 - 18:18
Wow - that's a lot - though probably very small servings. You may be able to get away with making 2 large puddings (using more rather than less squash)... if you make 3, then you'll have leftovers. :) Honestly, I don't have experience cooking for groups that big, let alone first graders. What I do know when it comes to kids, is to keep the recipe plain and simple: easy on the spice (don't bother with the optional spices), use 1/3c-1/2c brown sugar for the batter, no nut crust, stick to one nut for the topping (if you can - some schools have strict no nut policies) - maybe use 1 pecan half per serving. Wait till the pudding is cool so it's easier to serve. You may want to bring along some whipped cream too. Good luck!