Studio 5: Crêpe Cakes!

I'm not a baker.  People don't believe me, but it's true.  A baker bakes...regularly and with proficiency.

This is what I bake; Gigi's Carrot Cake for my husband's birthday and Father's day.  The end.  LOL

I sometimes bake things at Christmas time.  And occasionally a brownie mix, but for the most part, my husband does the baking; Yes, I'm lucky.  He's really good at it!

So this Crepe cake intrigued me. Imagine your favorite crepes & fillings, piled up into a beautiful layered masterpiece, ready for any special occasion!  Wonderfully simple and customizable for your favorite combinations!

All you need is a big pile of crepes, a filling and something pretty for the top.

There is a few tips that are helpful and will keep your crepe cake from sliding apart and tasting delicious!

Any crepe recipe will work here, but here is my tried & true Betty Crocker recipe I've been making for 36 years!

Basic Crepes

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups milk

2 Tbsp oil, margarine or butter, melted

1 cup Pillsbury's Best All purpose or Unbleached flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Sugar (if making dessert crepes)

In a medium bowl (I use my blender) beat eggs slightly.  Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.  Cover batter and refrigerate for about  2 hours, this will help the air to settle from the batter and give you a smoother crepe.

Heat crepe pan or 7-8 inch skillet over medium-high heat (375 degrees).

A few drops of water sprinkled on the pan sizzle and bounce when heat is just right.  Grease pan  lightly with butter.  I use a bunched up paper towel that I dip in butter and rub on pan before each crepe.  You might not need the non-stick power of butter, but it'll brown up better with it. 

Pour about 1/3 cup batter into pan, tilting pan to spread evenly.  When crepe is light brown and set, turn to brown the other side for just a minute.  Remove from pan.  Repeat with remaining batter to make about 14 crepes. stacking cooked crepes. 

Refridgerate for a few days in fridge or freeze, layer crepes between wax paper or parchment paper.  Wrap and store up to 3 months.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Next and most importantly is a stabilized whipped cream...it's also called fortified whipped cream.  This is the trick you need so your crepes don't fall off of each other.

This is a must-have recipe for your kitchen, especially if you love desserts with whipped cream in them.  It's very easy and just a few extra steps than regular whipped cream.  I took a bunch of step-by-step pictures for this (my husband is my cream maker!), but decided to just share a link to a great tutorial at Our Best Bites website.

Flavor

This is the fun part!  What is your favorite crepe filling?  I love Strawberry & Lemon.  But I also fancy some traditional Nutella & Banana on occasion.  I also thought Blueberry & lemon would be a good combo.

I'm giving you my recipes for these versions, but think of these as a master recipe which allows you to be creative and do your own thing.

Assembly & decoration

It is very important to let this cake set up in the fridge for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.  This is great!  I love making things ahead of time.  Do, however, leave the top and decoration for right before serving.

Lastly,  You can change up the size of you crepe cakes.  Just use a small 4 or 5" pan, or cut out 3" circles from a regular crepe.

Little individual crepe cakes would be perfect for a dinner party, bridal or baby shower!

Strawberry/Lemon  Mascarpone Crepe Cake

(light, sweet and a little tangy, perfect for Spring)

15 - 20 Crepes

1 cup pureed strawberries

1 cup lemon curd (see recipe below or use store bought)

1 cup mascarpone (or Cream cheese), softened & whipped

9 cups stabilized whipped cream (see recipe link above)

2 cups sliced strawberries

8 similar sized strawberries, cut in half through the green.

powdered sugar

optional: 1/4 cup candied lemon peel

Directions:

Make crepes (see recipe above) and store in fridge or layer between parchment or wax paper and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Fold strawberry puree with 2 cups of stabilized whipped cream and 1/2 cup mascarpone.  Taste.  Strawberries can be sweet or tart, or somewhere in between.  If tart, add a Tbsp of powdered sugar a little bit at a time until you get the sweetness you like.  Continue folding in 2 more cups of stabilized whipped cream.   Cover and put in fridge until ready to use.

Fold Lemon Curd with 1 cup of whipped cream and 1/2 cup mascarpone.  Finish folding remaining 2 cups of whipped cream.  You will have a little bit less lemon mousse than strawberry mousse because you will start and finish with the strawberry mousse.  Reserve the last 3 cups of whipped cream for piping on top.

Lay one crepe on serving dish and place about 1/2 cup strawberry mousse in center.  Use a metal spatula to spread mousse all over surface and pushing out towards edges. 

For extra strawberry flavor, I thinly sliced large strawberries (Costco!) on my mandolin, or just practice your cutting skills.  I placed these on top of each layer of strawberry mousse.

Place another crepe on top and repeat with lemon mousse.  Continue alternating between strawberry and lemon mousse until you run out.  finish with a crepe on top.  As you are layering, make sure the cake is laying even.  Press down gently on the side that is uneven if necessary.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight (preferable)

Finish by dusting top of cake with powdered sugar.  Pipe rest of whipped cream into rosettes (one per serving).  Sprinkles with candied lemon peel and place half of a strawberry (if large) or a whole (if small) into each rosette.  Slice & serve!

Optional:  Blueberry/lemon version.

Omit directions for Strawberry Mousse.  Substitute Blueberry curd (see Lemon Curd recipe below) for Lemon curd. 

I spooned on the Nutella Ganache (see recipe below), piped some cream and decorated with fresh blueberries and Lindor Blueberrie chocolates that I broke into pieces.

Nutella & Banana Crepe Cake

(rich & chocolately with a Nutella Ganache)

15 - 20 Crepes

8 cups stabilized whipped cream (see recipe link above)

1 3/4 cups Nutella divided

1/2 cup heavy cream + 2 Tbsp

1 tsp kosher salt

6 bananas

8-12 Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut chocolates 

Directions:

Make crepes (see recipe above) and store in fridge or layer between parchment or wax paper and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Place 1 cup nutella in microwave on low temp for 20-30 seconds.  Keep checking as you don't want it warm at all, just loosened up a bit.  Fold into 1 cup of stabilized whipped cream.  Fold another cup of whipped cream into Nutella mixture.  Finish by folding rest of whipped cream for mousse.  Cover and put in fridge until ready to use.

Lay one crepe on serving dish and place about 1/2 cup Nutella mousse in center.  Use a metal spatula to spread mousse all over surface and pushing out towards edges. 

Slice a banana thinly (do this one at a time, otherwise bananas will brown. 

Cover top of mousse with one layer of sliced bananas. 

Place another crepe on top and repeat with more mousse.   

Continue alternating between just mousse and mousse & banana slices until you run out,  finish with a crepe on top.  As you are layering, make sure the cake is laying even.  Press down gently on the side that is uneven if necessary.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight (preferable)

Once ready to serve, place rest of Nutella (1/2 cup heavy cream + 2 Tbsp) in a bowl.  Place 1/2 cup heavy cream in a pot and heat (but not boil).  Pour over Nutella and mix until smooth.  Mix in salt. 

Check consistency of ganache.  It should drop  from a spoon smoothly (no gaps), but not runny.  Start by pouring onto center top of cake.  It should naturally move towards edges of cake and drip down.  You might need to move it in this direction if your ganache is tight.  That's ok!  It takes a bit of practice to know the right consistency.

Use the rest of the stabilized whipped cream to pipe rosettes on top of the cake (as many as you wish slices).  Unwrap Ferrero Rocher chocolates and tuck one & a thick slice of banana into the center of each rosette.   Optionally sprinkle Chocolate sprinkles over top of cake.  A friend had given me a box of De Ruijter Belgium sprinkles...they are actually use this on toast!  My kind of toast! 

Lemon Curd & Candied Lemon Peel

(My favorite recipe, always smooth with a perfect sweet & sour balance)

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp room temp butter

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

Approx 6 lemons you'll get...

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 cup sliced lemon peel

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:  I like to make curd and candied lemon peel at the same time to get the most out of the lemons.

Start by grating 1 lemon.  cover and set aside.  You'll be adding this to the curd once it's finished cooking.

Peel rest of lemons with a zesting tool like this.  It will give you thin strips.  Alternatively, you can cut by hand, but you'll have to do it after you've juiced.  This tool is from pampered chef.

After you have zested lemons, juice them.  You should have a little over 2/3 cup juice.

Beat butter & sugar in a mixing bowl until  light and fluffy.  Add one egg at a time and beat in between additions.  Beat for a minute.  Add lemon juice slowly and mix until incorporated.  It will look curdled at this point.  No worries.  Place mixture into a thick bottomed pan and heat on low, stirring, until the mixture is smooth.

Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  Don't let it boil.  It is now curd!  Add zest, mix in.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.  It will store in fridge for a week or you can freeze for a few months.

Optional:  Blueberry/lemon curd

Instead of adding just lemon juice, add 2 cups blueberry sauce and 1/4 cup lemon juice.

to make blueberry sauce, simmer fresh or frozen blueberries in a pan for 5-7 minutes until soft.  Mash and strain.

Candied Lemon Peel/zest

Place zested lemon peel into a pan of water, just covering and bring to a boil.  Let it boil hard for 30 seconds.  drain peel in a colander.  Place back in pan, again cover with water and bring to a boil, hard for 30 seconds.  Drain.  This process removes any bitterness in the lemon.

Pour 2 cups of water into same pan and add 1 1/2 cups sugar.  Heat until sugar dissolves.  Add lemon peel and bring to a hard boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes (If you use the tool I recommend above, you'll have thin pieces of lemon and it doesn't take long to cook.  To make sure, remove one and bite it, if it's easy to bite, they are done.  If you are using larger pieces of peel, you'll want to cook a little longer.

Drain from pan (you can save the liquid, it's like lemon syrup) and place lemon peel on a piece of parchment and cool for 10-15 minutes.  It should feel a bit tacky.  Toss into some super fine sugar to coat.    Place back on parchment and let dry for several hours. 

Studio 5: Japanese Curry Comfort food

The first place our friend, Jordan, took us to eat in Kyoto, was a Japanese Curry House.  He doesn't know this (but he does now), but I was disappointed.  Curry?  In Japan?  And a franchise no less!  I was SO looking forward to all the Japanese food I love; Okonomiyaki, Yakitori, Sushi, Ramen, Shabu Shabu etc...  WHY were we here?

Of course, I humbly followed him in, because well, he had lived in Japan, had studied all things Japanese, was about to marry a Japanese girl, so clearly he knew something I didn't about Japanese food.  Duh.

You could customize whichever curry you choose (I picked Mushroom/chicken) from heat levels 1 through 10.  I asked Jordan which number it started to get hot.  He said three.  So I ordered three.  It was SO HOT, I could barely eat it, but I did, every last bite.  It was simply so delicious, I walked through the valley of lip death and enjoyed every minute!

What a food revelation!  Of course, I immediately started searching recipes and history on this curious Japanese dish with plans to eat more curry while on my trip and to make it once I was home.

Curry was most likely introduced to Japan via the Anglo-Indian officers of the British Royal Navy in the 1850's, started being served in restaurants a few decades later and then, instant curry blocks were developed in the 1950s. It is so popular in Japan that is regarded, along with Ramen, as one of the top two national dishes, ahead of sushi and miso soup!  I read that Japanese on average eat curry once a week!

So, what's the difference between Japanese curry and Indian or Thai curry?  Sweeter, thicker and normally less spicy, although obviously some Japanese like it hot!

It's typically served with sushi rice (but any rice with do) and a side of Fukujinzuke, which are Japanese pickles.  This adds a sour and crunchy aspect to the curry, but isn't necessary to enjoy Japanese curry.  Another popular restaurant version is to add a breaded, sliced pork cutlet to the dish; this is called Katsu curry.

The best part of making this dish is just how simple it is.   You can make it on your stove top or in an Instapot.  If you are using stewing beef on the stove top, you'll need a few hours to soften the meat, but if you use chicken thighs (my favorite), it can be done in a little over 30 minutes.  You could even just make your favorite stew and then add the curry blocks to keep it really simple. 

The mixture of spices is what makes this dish unique.  You can make this part from scratch, however most Japanese use the pre-made curry blocks (which include spices and roux), which are simply added to the dish once it's together.  Let it melt and combine and you'll have a silky smooth gravy with tender chunks of meat, potatoes and vegetables or whatever else you want to add.  

So, there you go, simple.  But wait...there's more, of course there is more! 

  

IF you want to dig a little deeper into this dish, you'll do as most Japanese and make it your unique version by adding a fascinating collection of ingredients.  A little bit of this, a little bit of that...can make a huge difference.  Here's a list of what some might add to the dish.  DO NOT add all of them (yikes!), but you may want to try a few of these to add more complex flavors to your curry.  I would personally recommend the grated apple (add at the beginning so it pretty much disappears), a Tbsp of Tomato paste, Cocoa powder (just a tsp), soy sauce and Togarashi to spice things up a bit (go easy, this is spicy!).

Grated apples or other fruit (Banana, mango, etc...)

Jam

Honey or sugar

Soy Sauce

Worchestershire sauce

Ketchup

Tomato Paste

Chocolate

Cocoa Powder

Cheese

Coconut milk

Milk or cream

Yogurt

Coffee

Garlic

Wine

Tonkatsu sauce (amazon or Asian store)

Chunou sauce (fruit sauce/ amazon or Asian store)

Togarashi is a pepper spice mix (amazon or Asian store)

Basic Japanese Curry with beef

1 lb stewing beef

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced or chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 honey crisp apple, grated

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks. (see Rangiri note below)

1 large yellow potato, peeled and cut into similar size chunks as beef.

1 tsp unsweetened Cocoa powder

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

4 cups water or 1 Quart Chicken stock

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 box of Japanese Curry Roux (med. hot)

*Togarashi to taste (start with just a tsp, let it cook for a few minutes and taste.  It will get hotter that longer it sits, so beware!  See below for Togarashi substitute.

Directions:  Heat oil in heavy bottomed large pot.  If beef is moist, pat with paper towels before adding to pot.  Cook beef until browned.  Remove beef and add onion to pot and cook for 10  minutes on med heat until onions are caramelized.  Add garlic, stir in and cook for 1 minute.  Add rest of ingredients except water, peas and curry roux blocks. 

Add 4 cups water, but depending on the size of your vegetables, you may need to add more.  Make sure everything in the pot is covered with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add curry blocks to pot,  gently stir them in.  Let them heat up and melt into the broth.  Gently stir to combine and bring temperature up to thicken curry.

Add frozen peas last so they are bright green.

My one issue with Japanese curry is that it isn't very pleasing to the eye.  So despite not being traditional, I top my curry with sliced green onions or chives.  Japanese Pickles (Fukujinzuke) can be bright colored and add a nice sour crunch to this dish, especially if it's spicy.

Serve with a sticky rice.  Any rice will work, but I like how Sushi rice sticks to my curry.

Japanese curry is traditionally eaten with a spoon.

If curry thickens before eating, or after being in the fridge, add a little water to loosen curry.

Japanese Curry with chicken, mushrooms & sweet potato

I adore mushrooms, but Japanese mushroom are the best!  Maitake (or Hens of the woods) have a delicate and feathery texture.  Bunashimeji are just adorable!  Perfect little mushrooms that have a nutty, buttery flavor and a firm, but tender cap.  Both mushrooms hold up well in stewed curry.  You can purchase these at an Asian store.

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced or chopped

Pack of Japanese Mushrooms* (Maitake Mushrooms & Bunashimeji) or any mushroom

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 honey crisp apple, grated

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces

4 cups water or 1 Quart Chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1/2 box of Japanese Curry Roux (med. hot)

1/4 cup milk or cream

I created this to be a mellow curry and not spicy at all, but it is flavorful.  You can easily add Togarashi to spice it up. 

Directions:  Heat oil in heavy bottomed large pot.  If chicken is moist, pat with paper towels before adding to pot.  Cook chicken until browned.  Remove chicken and add onion to pot and cook for 10  minutes on med heat until onions are caramelized.  Add garlic, stir in and cook for 1 minute.  Add rest of ingredients except water, curry roux blocks and milk/cream.

Add 4 cups water, but depending on the size of your vegetables, you may need to add more.  Make sure everything in the pot is covered with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Add curry blocks to pot,  gently stir them in.  Let them heat up and melt into the broth.  Gently stir to combine and bring temperature up to thicken curry.

Finish with a splash of milk or cream.  This is a common add-in in Japan (as is cheese!) and will mellow and round out the flavors.

My one issue with Japanese curry is that it isn't very pleasing to the eye.  So despite not being traditional, I top my curry with sliced green onions or chives.  Japanese Pickles (Fukujinzuke) can be bright colored and add a nice sour crunch to this dish, especially if it's spicy.

Serve with a sticky rice.  Any rice will work, but I like how Sushi rice sticks to my curry.

Japanese curry is traditionally eaten with a spoon.

If curry thickens before eating, or after being in the fridge, add a little water to loosen curry.

Togarashi (or Japanese seven spice) is quite unique and difficult to fully substitute, but in a pinch, Chili pepper, Cayenne and/or red pepper flakes will work.

Typically this blend includes ingredients like tangerine peel and dried nori (seaweed), sesame seed, poppy seeds, ginger, garlic and  szechuan peppercorns.

Half of our family loves the HOT stuff, so I usually make a batch with a good amount of Togarashi in it.

Studio 5: Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash!

Thanksgiving Point (a nonprofit farm, garden, and museum complex here in Utah) hosts the only First Thanksgiving reenactment outside of New England.

I've never been, but after preparing for the Studio 5 segment I want to!

Growing up in Canada, we would celebrate Thanksgiving, but in October.  I didn't know much about the roots of this beloved holiday, so I was excited to learn.  Wow, what an amazing story of courage, perseverance and friendship.  

To leave everything you hold dear, to start a new life in a land you are completely unfamiliar with, to lose half of your original party, to suffer sickness, homesickness, to live on the Mayflower that first winter...all of it must have been incredibly difficult and I'm sure made their first harvest all the more sweet.

Both the English and the Native Americans (Wampanoag tribe) celebrated the harvest.  I love that, for a time, two different cultures could come together, put aside fear and share their resources and knowledge.

I've included a list of what was likely served at this 3 day feast, in case you want to host your own "eat like a pilgrim" dinner next year.  Or you could include just one part of the meal, add it to your traditional Thanksgiving menu and use it as a launching pad to talk about the original feast.

We only know 2 things for sure about that first Thanksgiving dinner.  Venison & wild fowl.  Everything else is a guess, but an educated guess.  We know what was indigenous to that area and what the Wampanoags were cultivating.

Based on that, I created a Corn bread stuffed Acorn squash!  I took a few liberties, but we do know that Acorn squash and Pumpkin were aplenty, in fact, the Pilgrims called Acorn squash "Ground apples".  Apples were something they sorely missed and both Pumpkin and Acorn squash, once pureed reminded them of Apple Butter.

We also know that there were berries & nuts growing in that area.  The Wampanoag would dry berries and cranberries, although they called them Ibimi (which means sour or bitter).  They also cultivated important crops of Corn, beans and Squash.

The Pilgrims brought seed with them, and were able to grow vegetables and herbs.  And they most certainly hunted and used every part of the animal, including making sausage...so there you go.  Everything we need to make a real show stopping Thanksgiving side dish!

Corn bread Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recipe will fill approx. 2-3 Acorn squash depending on how large they are.  One half would make a great meal on its own, but as a side dish, I would cut squash into halves or quarters.  You can also double the recipe for larger crowds.

Ingredients:

2-3 Acorn squash

one 8x8 pan (Approx 6 cups) of homemade cornbread

(or you can use a mix,  just don't buy the corn bread stuffing in a box.  I tried it, not good.)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisens)

1/4 apple cider vinegar

3/4 lb. Hot Italian sausage (or mild if you prefer)

1 1/4 cup chopped onions

3/4 cup sliced celery

2/3 cup chopped roasted Pecans

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves

1 Tbsp Fresh Sage Leaves, chopped coarsely

1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped finely

2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1 Tsp Freshly ground pepper

1 Egg

1 cup chicken broth (you may not use all of this)

Directions:

At least one day before, cut cornbread into 3/4" squares (these will get smaller by the time they dry and are assembled).  Spread out and let dry thoroughly.  You can speed up this process by toasting them in the oven.

Cut Acorns in half.  You may need a cleaver for this, as they are hard.    Trim off outside (bottom) part with a knife until they sit evenly.  Rub cut part and inside with olive oil.  Generously salt & Pepper.  and cook in a 400 oven for 30 minutes.  They will be partly cooked at this point.  A fork should insert fairly easily at this point.

While squash is cooking, cook stuffing.

Place Craisens in a small bowl and pour the vinegar over them to macerate.  This will plump them up and add a little zing.

Cook Sausage until brown, remove and set aside.

Add onions & celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

Depending on how much fan rendered from the sausage add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the butter.

Add Pecans & Herbs and seasoning.  Cook another 5 minutes.

Drain off vinegar from Craisens and add to mixture.

Meanwhile, beat one egg and add to a corn bread cubes in a large bowl.  Mix.

Add cooked ingredients and mix.

Add chicken broth a little at a time, until the corn bread has soaked in the moisture, but don't let it get mushy.  Do not over mix, just toss lightly.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (ei: more salt).

Use an ice cream scooper and scoop stuffing into center of cooked acorn squash until quite full.

Place back in oven and cook for another 30 minutes until top of stuffing is golden brown and squash is fork tender.

Oh my goodness, such a perfect balance of sweet & savory!  real comfort food!

First Thanksgiving Menu

Roast Turkey

Roast Beef

Steamed Mussels or Lobster

Corn bread

Sallet (Salad) of Herbs & Cucumbers

Roasted Root Vegetables

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Berry Cobbler

Indian Corn Pudding

Pumpkin custard

Historical Readings

For fun, take turns reading historical readings during dinner (see notes in red).

During this 1600s, good food consisted of meat, bread & beer.  Hard labor needed carbs & protein and during this time, even children drank beer, as often water was not suitable to drink.  (Even though the Pilgrims had no apples, a spiced apple cider is a good substitution for our meal.)

As a result, meat, fowl & seafood was center stage on the first Thanksgiving table.  In preparation for the 3 day feast, the men had gone hunting for wildfowl.  The Wampanoags (the native people) brought venison.  It's likely that they had seafood as well, as mussels, clams, lobster and fish were abundant in this area.

"If you will boil chickens, young turkeys, peahens, or any house fowl daintily, you shall, after you have trimmed them, drawn them, trussed them, and washed them, fill their bellies as full of parsley as they can hold; then boil them with salt and water only till they be enough: then take a dish and put into it verjuice [the juice of sour crab-apples] and butter, and salt, and when the butter is melted, take the parsley out of the chicken's bellies, and mince it very small, and put it to the verjuice and butter, and stir it well together; then lay in the chickens, and trim the dish with sippets [fried or toasted slices of bread], and so serve it forth."  The English Housewife 1615

Gravy?  Absolutely!  Every part of the animal would have been used, including the drippings!  Here's an original transcript from 1615.

"Take fair water, and set it over the fire, then slice good store of onions and put into it, and also pepper and salt, and good store of the gravy that comes from the turkey, and boil them very well together: then put to it a few fine crumbs of grated bread to thicken it; a very little sugar and some vinegar, and so serve it up with the turkey: or otherwise, take grated white bread and boil it in white wine till it be thick as a galantine [a sauce made from blood], and in the boiling put in good store of sugar and cinnamon, and then with a little turnsole [a plant used to as red food coloring] make it of a high murrey color, and so serve it in saucers with the turkey in the manner of a galantine."

Cute poems about Pumpkin & Corn Pudding

Instead of pottage and puddings and custards and pies

Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies;

We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,

If it was not for pumpkins we should be undone!

And all my bones were made of Indian corn.
Delicious grain! Whatever form it take.
To toast or boil, to smother or to bake,
In every dish ’tis welcome still to me,
but most, my Hasty Pudding, most in thee. 

John Josselyn, in hisNew England Rarities Discovered (London, 1672) also discusses the use of hominey or corn in puddings:

It is light of digestion, and the English make a kind of Loblolly of it to eat with Milk, which they call Sampe; they beat it in a Morter, and sift the flower [flour] out of it; the remainder they call Hominey, which they put into a Pot of two or three Gallons, with Water, and boyl it upon a gently Fire till it be like a Hasty Puden; thye put of this into Milk and so eat it.

In 1662, John Winthrop, Jr., son of John Wilthrop (1588-1649), first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote the following about the pudding in his letter to the royal Society in London. 

. . . this is to be boyled or Stued with a gentle fire, till it be tender, of a fitt consistence, as of Rice so boyled, into which Milke, or butter be put either with Sugar or without it, it is a food very pleasant. . . but it must be observed that it be very well boyled, the longer the better, some will let it be stuing the whole day: after it is Cold it groweth thicker, and is commonly Eaten by mixing a good Quantity of Milke amongst it. . .