While brewing a little beer at work recently…..

All in the name of research and history….

We had some malted barley and malted wheat brewing and we all noticed how much it smelled like Grape-Nuts.

The healthy, crunchy, good for you cereal.

And I started to think, ponder, dwell, fantasize, dream  about

GRAPE–NUTS PUDDING

Not the Puff Pudding, just plain old Grape-nuts custard……

But first to find the Grape-nuts….

Kathy went to the store first and found Grape-nuts Flakes….do they even make grape-nuts any more?????

Another store, with some poking and searching  – Grape-nuts! And a store brand that had much more sugar and salt…..

So the Grape-nuts come home, but the pudding recipe is no longer on the box.

The internet offered several solutions:

The thin layer of grape-nuts at the bottom is not the layer I’m looking for….keep looking

This is from Parade Magazine – thicker layer at the bottom, and thinner, crispier layer at top. I hope.

• INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large eggs

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 4 cups whole milk

• Grape-Nuts cereal

• whipped cream

 

1. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk in milk.
3. Pour a thin layer of Grape-Nuts cereal into baking dish, barely covering bottom of dish. Pour in milk mixture.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until mostly set but jiggly in center. Serve with whipped cream.

By Sarah DiGregorio  May 10, 2014

https://communitytable.parade.com/288844/sarahdigregorio/grape-nuts-pudding/

Still not the thick layer at the bottom I remember, the layer of soggy grape-nuts….

Savour has a version that promises the bottom layer….

December 19, 2007 Saveur

serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal

1 qt. milk

4 eggs

¹⁄₂ cup sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

¹⁄₄ tsp. fine salt

Grated nutmeg

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart glass loaf pan with 1 tsp. butter; set aside. Put cereal into a bowl; set aside.

Bring milk just to a boil over medium heat; pour over cereal and set aside to let soak for 5 minutes.

Beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly pour egg mixture into milk mixture while whisking constantly. Transfer to reserved pan; set in a deep roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan that it reaches halfway up pudding pan. Bake until just set, about 1 ¹⁄₄ hours. Let cool; sprinkle with grated nutmeg.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Grape-Nuts-Pudding

But now that Spring has finally come, and the weather is in the 70’s, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven and fuss with a  water bath  – even calling it bain marie doesn’t make it more attractive.

Pea shoots, micro-green salads, pasta with seasonal pestos, eggs with greeny things….It’s still April; there’ll be a day for custard before May.