Cracker Pudding. Photo by Liddie Martinez
Cracker Pudding video. Created by Liddie Martinez
By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley
When I was a kid, there was one dessert that repeatedly made my mother’s special request list. Each kid in turn asked for it for their birthdays; It was a recipe that I grew up with and requested of my mother myself and yet, until I wrote my cookbook, I confess that I had never made it.
It was eaten at every baptism, confirmation, wedding, funeral, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner and so, I never had to learn how to make it because mom always delivered. I’d watched her make it a thousand times and even assisted with the whisking or layered the crackers, cheese and butter before the big pour but I had never made it solo and my mother never measured.
When I decided to include Cracker Pudding in my cookbook (Ian’s favorite dessert, I couldn’t very well leave it out), I called my mom and she said, “Taste it! You’ll know when it’s enough.”
The truth was that she had made it so perfectly every time in varying quantities, at the drop of a hat, without a thought to technique or pantry contents that I was afraid to attempt it and fail. I learned how to make everything at her or my Grandma’s side and had flown solo so often on so many dishes that the fear factor had eluded me – until now.
What if it wasn’t good? What if I’d really just been faking it all this time and now, it would be discovered that I really didn’t know what I was doing? It’s every child’s fear and a definite proving ground in my culture to step into those very big culinary shoes. It would be no less humiliating if I messed up a plate of enchiladas, which every New Mexican, regardless of age or ethnicity, can make blindfolded.
But lo, and behold, I made it perfectly the first shot out of the box! How could I not? I’d seen it made a thousand times – I just lacked confidence. I promise you, you can do this, too. Don’t be afraid.
The secret is in the timing. To avoid snafus, measure everything out and have it ready. Have the standing mixer plugged in and ready to go and when you separate the eggs, put the egg whites in the standing mixer bowl and leave them there until you are ready to make the meringue. Set a ladle, a rubber spatula and a whisk on the spoon rest at the stove, you will need them all and don’t want to go searching for utensils and have your milk boil over – it just needs to be scalded – don’t let it boil!
Cracker pudding was a dessert that became popular in New Mexico during the depression. Crackers were available and handy and could stay on the shelf for months without issue. Bread was more difficult to come by so this became the go to dessert. I’ve seen this recipe made with canned and dry milk and while it does seem to have coconut added in some variations, I’ve never added coconut to mine- I’m too much of a traditionalist. I make it exactly like my mother did and am proud to say that she has handed over the family responsibility to me to cover all special requests. Mom doesn’t cook anymore but she is a vocal supervisor and a tough critic.
For Pudding Base:
2 sleeves saltine crackers
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ lb. longhorn or Colby cheddar sliced thinly
For pudding:
5 eggs yolks
½ cup flour
1 ⅓ cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 cups whole milk (1/2 cup reserved)
For Meringue:
5 egg whites
2 Tbsps. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat Oven to 350° F.
Butter a 9X13-inch casserole dish. Thinly butter each cracker and cover bottom of dish with a first layer. Cover with slices of cheese, then buttered crackers, then cheese, etc. with at least three layers. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, flour, sugar, vanilla and the 1/2 cup of reserved milk to create a base for the pudding. Whisk until smooth.
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining milk to scalding – do not boil. Slowly ass a ladle of hot milk to the egg mixture, blending well with the whisk to temper- then pour entire mixture into the hot milk and whisk over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Use the rubber spatula to stir making sure to pay close attention to the bottom edge of pan where whisk is hard to get to. Turn off heat and pour pudding over cracker layers. Use spatula to get all the pudding out of the pan. Set timer to bake for 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes before timer goes off, beat egg whites to stiff, but not dry peaks adding sugar and vanilla at the end. Take pudding out of oven and cover with meringue, sealing the edges of the dish, then return to hot oven to bake for an additional 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
Serves 12.
