I didn't plan on making pumpkin pudding this past week. It all came about as a batch of botched spiced pumpkin puree that we were to have with dinner one night. I had my daughters helping me in the kitchen that evening, and we seemed to get very distracted with our conversation. Story short -- a mistake, bug mistake was made in measuring the ground cloves. The pumpkin puree was simply too strong to enjoy with the meal. That spicy pumpkin sat in a container in the fridge for several days. I wasn't sure if I'd bake pumpkin bread, make a pie, or do something else. Then one daughter reminded me how much our family enjoys pumpkin pudding, the kind you make on the stove.
Thursday afternoon I turned the too-spicy thick pumpkin puree into a tasty pudding. I used a basic cornstarch pudding recipe, omitting the vanilla extract. I think I used about 1 cup of spiced pumpkin puree for a "2 cups of milk" recipe. Otherwise I followed the cornstarch pudding recipe as usual, blending cornstarch, sugar, salt together, then stirring in milk and cooking until thick. Near the end, I stirred in the pumpkin and finished cooking. My family loves this stuff and so do I. I made myself a batch using soy milk and about 1/2 cup of the spicy pumpkin, so I could have some too.
My guess is you could also make a tasty pumpkin pudding with a box of pudding mix, which would even be simpler. Simply stir in a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pumpkin puree into the finished pudding plus a bit of spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and/or nutmeg.
Sometimes I want the taste of the filling of pumpkin pie without making the crust. Stovetop pumpkin pudding is an easy way to get that taste I crave.
A brief update -- last week I had 6 separate medical/dental visits. Those appointments wiped me out. My doctor has asked me to delay having the extraction for a couple of weeks. I have some health complications right now that need to be figured out and mediated before using anesthesia of any kind. Whatever is causing my symptoms, I am hopeful will be easy to treat. More soft food for me.
