SERVES 6 – 8

Rich, subtly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, and sweet with molasses, this dessert is a version of the pudding that has been served at the venerable Rhode Island clam shack Aunt Carrie's since it opened, in the 1920s.

3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter
3 cups milk
3⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1⁄4 cups molasses
1⁄4 cup flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
Vanilla ice cream

1. Heat oven to 350°. Butter an 8" × 8" baking dish with 1 tsp. of the butter; set aside. Put 2 cups of the milk and 2 cups hot water into a medium pot and bring just to a boil. Slowly pour in cornmeal while whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until very thick, 12–14 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter. Set cornmeal mixture aside.

2. Whisk together molasses, flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and egg in a large bowl. Pour molasses mixture into cornmeal mixture while whisking constantly; transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour remaining milk evenly over batter and bake, rotating once, until pudding is set but still soft and a skin has formed over the top, about 1 hour. (If pudding gets too dark while baking, tent with foil.) Set pudding aside to let cool to room temperature. Spoon pudding into bowls and top with scoops of vanilla ice cream.