Walnut Pudding

The weather has turned rainy and cold up here. Thank goodness I managed to make the most of the last sunny days. 

If you haven't been to Kejimkujik National Park, I recommend it.

 It's really a great place for the soul to start hunkering down and getting warm for the winter.

Walnut pudding is good for that too.

Pudding often gets a miss these days, since I think most people only get it in plastic cups in packs of twelve for school lunches. I love it, though. It can be warm or cold, thick or thin, savory or sweet. 

In this case, I wanted a Fall dessert for right after Thanksgiving. I'm mostly combining a whole bunch of Joy the Baker's many pudding recipes, the main one of which is this one. No cornstarch here, though, because I forgot to get some.

Here's what you need: whole milk, an egg, honey, salt, vanilla, and walnut butter.

Farms making cameos here include:

Jordan's Natural Acres (eggs)

Foxhill Cheesehouse (milk)

Limerock Orchards (walnut butter)

Brandt's Bees (honey)

Amounts are as follows:

2 cups milk

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup nut butter

1 egg

 If, as in my case, you don't have quite enough walnut butter (you need about half a cup), you can always put some walnuts in the blender with a little of the milk and blitz until smooth.

Throw all the ingredients into your one big pot and whisk like your life/autumnal happiness depends on it. When the mixture is smooth, switch to a wooden spoon or spatula, whatever will get into all the corners. 

Taste occasionally. I added more honey. 

When the mixture is glossy and your chosen stirring implement starts to leave a trail behind it, you can call it quits and stop stirring. The pudding may still look runny, but will thicken as it cools. 

This is so good with nutmeg on top. I like mine warm, but it's good chilled as well.

 Here's to mist, rain, sleet, and spiderwebs.