Grape-Nuts Pudding, a Longtime Favorite, Combines Cake and Custard

DEAR SOS: Recently, someone requested a recipe from a Grape-Nuts package. I am enclosing one from an old cereal box my grandmother saved.

My grandmother made this often and we like it very much. I don’t know how old it is, but my grandmother would be 123 if she were alive.

--S.G.

DEAR S.G.: The Grape-Nuts pudding, which is cake-like on top and custard-like underneath, probably has its roots in an old classic going back to the early days in America.

However, evidence of its use by a food company appeared in the Postum Cereal Co. publication called “75 Ways to Enjoy a Famous Food” in 1929. It was placed on the Post cereal package label in 1967. A repeat performance appeared in March of 1987 and the pudding is still going strong.

Grape-Nuts, the wheat-barley cereal developed by Charles William Post in 1903, was the first ready-to-eat cereal to be put on the market. The name was derived from the baking process, which created a toasty, nutty flavor, said Mark O’Brien, a consumer communications spokesman for General Foods Corp. in White Plains, N.Y.

GRAPE-NUTS PUFF PUDDING

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup Grape-Nuts

1 cup milk

Cream or whipped cream

Cream lemon zest and butter until well blended. Add sugar gradually and cream together until light and fluffy. Add lightly beaten egg yolks and beat well.

Add lemon juice, flour, Grape-Nuts and milk, mixing well. (Mixture will look curdled but this will not affect finished pudding.)

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Turn into 3-cup round greased baking dish and place in pan of hot water. Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour, 15 minutes.

When done, pudding has cake-like layer on top and custard below. Serve warm or chilled with plain or whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.

Note: If desired, 1/2 cup honey may be substituted for sugar.

DEAR SOS: On a recent stop at Jean, Nev., we were served stuffed veal birds, which were delicious. I would like the recipe.

--THERESA

DEAR THERESA: Paupiettes de Veau is a classic dish in the French cuisine. The rolls are stuffed with ham and cheese and baked in a tomato sauce with olives.

PAUPIETTES DE VEAU

(Veal Rolls)

2 pounds veal cutlet

1/2 pound ham, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 tablespoons minced onion

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup dry white wine

Sliced black olives, optional

Have meat cut into thin slices. Pound slices very thin with mallet or cleaver. Mix ham, cheese, eggs, parsley and onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread veal slices with mixture. Roll carefully and tie each with string.

Heat oil, butter and garlic in heat-proof casserole on top of range. When butter is melted add veal rolls and brown lightly, turning carefully. Add tomato sauce and wine.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour or until veal is tender. Just before serving, add olives to sauce. Makes 6 servings.

DEAR SOS: My boyfriend has asked me to bake a Broken-Glass cake for him. He says that it has many different flavors of gelatin and that the gel part is crunchy. Please help. I can’t find this recipe anywhere, and you are my best hope.

--MARTA

DEAR MARTA: It so happens that Broken-Glass Cake is an old-time favorite developed when flavored gelatin products came on the market. The multicolored gelatin squares make this a festive cake for special occasions.

BROKEN-GLASS CAKE

1 (3-ounce) package orange-flavored gelatin

1 (3-ounce) package cherry-flavored gelatin

1 (3-ounce) package lime-flavored gelatin

3 cups boiling water

2 cups cold water

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup sugar

1 (3-ounce) package lemon-flavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

2 cups whipping cream

Prepare orange, cherry and lime gelatins separately, using 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water for each. Pour each flavor into 8-inch-square pan and chill until firm.

Mix pineapple juice and sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Dissolve lemon gelatin in hot juice, then add remaining 1/2 cup cold water. Chill until slightly thickened.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.

Cut firm orange, cherry and lime gelatins into 1/2-inch cubes.

Whip cream until stiff and blend with lemon gelatin. Fold in gelatin cubes. Pour into crumb-lined pan. Chill at least 5 hours.

Run knife or spatula between sides of dessert and pan and remove sides of pan before serving. Makes 16 servings.

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