4 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp flour
Soft butter or baking spray
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 275°F.
Pour milk into the top of a large double boiler. Fill the bottom of the double boiler half-full of hot water. Place the top onto the bottom and cover. Turn on the heat and let milk heat through until thoroughly hot, but do not boil. At this point, stir in cornmeal. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Remove top of double boiler to a kitchen counter or work surface. Beat in molasses and maple syrup. Break eggs into a small bowl, and beat thoroughly with a fork. Pour egg mixture into the pudding and stir vigorously. While mixture is still warm, add 3 Tbsp butter. In a small bowl or cup, combine cinnamon, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pudding mixture and stir well.
Prepare a two-quart baking ovenproof baking dish by smearing on some soft butter, or coating with baking spray (something like PAM that has flour in it). Add the pudding mixture, and bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let the pudding dish stand on a rack for 1/2 hour before serving. While the pudding is cooling, whip cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff. Serve pudding with the whipped cream, or with vanilla ice cream.
NOTE: Mrs. Knopf added that the pudding will have a delicious liquid (whey) in the bottom of the dish. "Some people are disturbed when they see this," she wrote, "but this is as it should be." I think she meant that the whey is as it should be!