By Week 463. Year 9. Tommy is 42. January grey. The crawfish sleeping. The hunting winding down. The business in its slow season. The pause before the spring. The inhale before the exhale. bread pudding to fill the quiet.
Made bread pudding this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The bayou runs on.
The bread pudding had already done its work — filled the house, held the day together, made the grey of January feel like something worth settling into. But the sweet end of a slow-season meal deserves its own moment, and this rhubarb pudding dessert is exactly that: soft, warm, a little tart, a little yielding, the kind of thing you make when you’re not in a hurry and the house is quiet and you want whoever walks through the door to know the stove is still on and there’s more where that came from. Year 9. Week 463. The bayou runs on.
Rhubarb Pudding Dessert
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 9
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup boiling water
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare rhubarb layer. Spread chopped rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and toss lightly to coat.
- Make the batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract; stir until a smooth, thick batter forms.
- Spread batter over rhubarb. Drop spoonfuls of batter over the rhubarb layer and gently spread to cover as evenly as possible. It does not need to be perfect — the batter will spread as it bakes.
- Make the topping sauce. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir.
- Add boiling water. Slowly pour boiling water evenly over the entire surface of the dish. Do not stir. The water will settle to the bottom and create a saucy pudding layer beneath the cake as it bakes.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. The bottom will be saucy and the top will be cakey — that’s exactly right.
- Rest and serve. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before scooping. Serve warm in bowls with a spoonful of the sauce from the bottom of the dish spooned over the top. Add whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you like.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 265 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 56g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 140mg