Old-Fashioned Cracker Pudding

Denise Uzee sent this one in out of the family recipe box. Grandmother made it for the kids, then mother made it, and Denise says it has been years since the last bowl. That is usually the sign a recipe needs writing down somewhere it will not get lost.

Evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and a couple sleeves of crackers. That is the whole thing. The crackers go soft and do the work flour would do in a heavier dessert, and the whipped whites folded in at the end keep it light. Eat it warm right off the stove or cold out of the refrigerator the next day—both are right.

Ingredients

• 2 cans evaporated milk
• 2 cans water
• 4 eggs
• 2 1/2 packs of crackers
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. Pour the evaporated milk and water into a pot. Warm over medium heat until the mixture begins to sizzle gently. Do not let it boil.
2. Stir in sugar until the mixture is sweetened to taste.
3. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Set both aside, as both get used.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, flour and vanilla. Mix well until smooth.
5. Take the warm milk off the stove. Slowly add a little of it to the egg yolks, stirring constantly so the yolks do not cook.
6. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the warm milk and stir well to combine.
7. Add the crackers a little at a time, stirring, until the pudding reaches the consistency you want. Use fewer crackers for a looser pudding.
8. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
9. Fold the whipped whites into the pudding a little at a time until it is as thick as you want it. You may not need all of them.
10. Let the pudding cool, then cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled, or eat it warm while it is fresh.

Notes

The crackers and the egg whites are both adjustable—they are how you steer the texture. More crackers and more whites give you a thick, spoon-standing pudding; hold back on both and it stays loose and custardy.

Denise's note: delicious warm right after it is finished, and good cold too.