Bess Truman's Ozark Pudding
This is the recipe for Ozark Pudding that Bess Truman's office sent to anyone who requested it - or so the story goes! Word of warning, it is quite sweet - but I am keeping it just as she intended. It was President Truman's favorite dessert after all! You might want to add an extra pinch of salt and serve it with whipped cream that is only slightly sweetened - that will provide a nice counterbalance to the sweetness of the dessert.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt (you can add an extra pinch to offset the sweetness if you like)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chopped apple (about 2.5 ounces)
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a pie pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg and sugar together until very smooth and light.
- Fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated, then stir in the vanilla.
- Fold in the chopped apples and pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. You'll know it's done when you tap the top and it feels like a firm shell.
- The recipe says “apparently this will fall but that is correct”, so if it puffs up and then falls, don’t worry!
- Allow to cool, then serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.
- And straight from Bess herself — a little rum in the whipped cream takes it to another level. Worth a try!