“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.” -Oscar Wilde, late 19th century Irish playwright, poet, and author

A while back, I started asking around in my family if they could help me with a project I was working on.  I wanted to begin to collect the recipes of our family so that I could start to tell the story of my family through food.  That project was this website, and I knew right away that I wanted it to be my legacy to my Daddy and to my family.  I didn’t stop at the recipes…..I asked for the stories too.  The jokes told around the table, the smells and tastes and anecdotes of celebrations we all remember most.  It started to make us smile again after what happened with my Daddy.  It started to put us back together once we could fit ourselves back into a common background image.  It’s been great fun and a real labor of love.

This recipe is one of my Grandma Rose’s.  It caught my attention now that the summer warmth is beginning to give way to the ever-persistent forces of autumn.  (Is it me, or do you totally want to eat differently once you can smell autumn in the air?)  As soon as I saw an ingredient list that included dates and nuts and had the word “pudding” in it, not to mention the fact that it was written in my Grandma’s handwriting, I couldn’t resist.  It’s so good you guys, and it’s just one of those cold-weather recipes that begs to be eaten wrapped in a cozy blankie (or a Snuggie, if you prefer looking like a sketchy Druid) in front of a fireplace drinking a mug full of something steamy and warm.  There’s no doubt in my mind, either, that any guest would be thrilled to eat this for dessert around the holidays.  This recipe is easy enough for any skill level.   Essentially you just dump a bunch of stuff in a bowl, mix it together, and bake it.  The end result, however, is impressive enough to win the hearts of even the snootiest of eaters.  High five on this one, Grandma!

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dry, plain bread crumbs (either homemade or store-bought)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

About 3/4 cup dates, chopped into uniform chunks

About 1 cup of chopped nuts (I used cashews, almonds, pecans, and walnuts here, but I imagine plenty of variation is possible here…..)

About 1 tbsp. butter

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350º F.

2.  In a workbowl, combine sugar, breadcrumbs, and baking powder.

3.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg and the milk together briskly with a fork until combined smoothly.  Combine the 2 mixtures and stir together until incorporated.

4.  Add the chopped dates & nuts and stir together.

5.  Rub the interior of the baking vessel you are using with a thin layer of butter.  (NOTE:  I used a regular ceramic pie pan to make this recipe, and the finished product was about 3/4″ thick with a cookie-like texture on the outsides and a crumbly, cake-like texture on the inside.  You could use a smaller, deeper vessel to make it thicker, but I would expect a softer, looser product in the middle.)

6.  Place vessel in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.  Pudding is ready when a golden-brown crust forms on the top.

7.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.  (NOTE:  I used a ring-shaped cookie cutter and garnished with a sprig of mint.  It made it look fancier than just spooning it in a mound onto a plate, dontcha think?)

Yield: Enough pudding-y goodness to fill up about 4 tummies after a yummy cold-weather meal