I never understood why anyone would eat Grape-Nuts cereal. The cereal is so hard, it’s tortuous to the roof of your mouth. The cereal dates back to the early 1900s, and was briefly made popular in the 1970s during the nature movement becoming the health conscious cereal of choice. It wasn’t until I moved to New England that I was introduced to using the now-unpopular cereal as an ingredient for both savory and sweet recipes. My favorite use of the cereal is for grape nut pudding, an eggy custard rich with warm spices. The cereal forms a bottom-layer crust giving the pudding a pie-like texture. In New England, folks go wild for this pudding –– you can usually find it on menus at diners. I find if you use a 9 x 9 baking dish, the cereal sinks to the bottom to form a thick sturdy crust. If you use a larger baking dish, the cereal mixes throughout the pudding. It’s still delicious, but you lack the defined layers of crust and custard. I love this dessert in the fall and as an alternative dessert for the holidays. If you want to be a true New Englander, serve the pudding with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Grape Nut Pudding 
Serves 10

Ingredients
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
4 cups whole milk
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Freshly ground nutmeg, for dusting
Powdered sugar, to garnish 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter the bottom and sides of a 9×9 glass or ceramic casserole dish. Heat a kettle of water and set aside. 
2. Place the Grape-Nuts cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Using a small saucepan, scald the milk (heating just before boiling). Reserve ½ cup of milk and pour the rest over the cereal. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften the cereal.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt together in a medium bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Whisking continuously, slowly pour the reserved milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Once tempered, add the mixture to the milk and cereal. 
5. Stir to combine, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg over the top to evenly coat.
6. Place the baking dish into the center of a large roasting pan and carefully pour the hot water into the outer pan to a depth of about 1-inch. 
7. Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the pudding pulls away from the edges slightly and a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean. There should be a slight jiggle in the center. 
8. Remove the pudding from the roasting pan and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To serve, scoop or cut into squares and top with powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup. 

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