If I had to choose a favorite dessert, it would be milk pudding. If I was asked to choose a favorite pudding, it would be milhassou -a real comfort food. Milhassou or millasou (or millas in Occitan) comes with various other names, most of them derived from the words 'millet' or 'maize'. There is archaeological evidence that boiled millet pudding was a staple among Gaulish populations of France so maybe Astérix enjoyed a savory version of today's featured recipe -if he existed at all. Millet pudding was also very popular in medieval cuisine and is still prepared with coarsely ground millet in various parts of the world. Then when maize was introduced to Europe, millet pudding became maize pudding and was soon turned into a dessert with added butter, sugar & flavorings as well as milk instead of water. A famous person who might also have enjoyed this version would be no other than D'Artagnan (our favorite musketeer). Whether milhassou was favored by the nobility of Gascogne, including Henry of Navarra, later king Henry IV of France and grandfather to Louis XVI, is less certain.
Cornmeal pudding is traditional in the southwest of France but not a specialty of this region only. Every country that produces maize has its own set of favorite cornmeal recipes. 19th century best-selling U.S. author Eliza Leslie (remember her Indian pone bread?) had lots of useful tips about cooking with maize flour. For example, she noted that Indian mush is nutritious and wholesome only if cooked for several hours and that coarsely-ground meal is quicker to boil into a thick pudding. Although this post is about French milhassou and not Miss Leslie's 'Indian' specialties, I can't help adding that Colonial & U.S. maize pudding was served with a hole in the center that was filled with butter and sugar or molasses. (Pretty cool, wasn't it?) The next day, leftover mush would be cut into mouthfuls and fried in butter or drippings. Indian hasty pudding was more of a luxury, with added butter and milk instead of water. It was served with cream, molasses or sugar.
Back to French milhassou: as in firm Italian polenta, the ingredients are first cooked in a pan and
then grilled on a rack. The finished pudding is thick enough to be cut into squares and served on a plate although some versions have the consistency of a flan. You can easily make the pudding from scratch with milk, butter, sugar, cornmeal and whole eggs - adjusting the liquids to yield a more or less thick consistency. Savory versions of millas are usually flavored with laurel but the main protagonist in the sweet recipe (in fact, milhassou or millasou typically refers to dessert rather than a savory pudding) is orange blossom water. This is probably the best and only flavoring that actually enhances the -'nutritious and wholesome' if earthy- taste of cornmeal.
MILHASSOU or MILLASSOU
To prepare milhassou in the traditional way: Boil the milk, leave to cool, stir in the cornmeal, add the butter and cook for a while; then incorporate the eggs & the sugar and when the mixture thickens, bake in a slow oven until a thin crust is formed on the surface. In my own version, the ingredients are mixed in a different order -which, I think, helps save time.
I n g r e d i e n t s
250g (wholegrain) cornmeal
250g caster sugar
250g butter
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1lt whole milk
1tbsp orange blossom water
M e t h o d
Combine the flour with the sugar. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the dry ingredients and stir well, gradually blending in the eggs and the milk. Keep stirring over low heat until the mixture thickens. Add the orange blossom water, stir once more, and then pour into a 2ox20cm baking tin or 8 individual ramekins. Bake at 160C for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm.
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