Procedures

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 325°F.  Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
   

2. 2

   In a medium pot, bring milk to a gentle simmer.  Very slowly whisk in cornmeal briskly to prevent clumping.  Cook for 20 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a gentle simmer, until mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon well.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the butter, molasses, maple syrup, salt, and spices until well blended.  In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.  Slowly whisk about ¼ cup of the hot pudding mixture into the eggs, then whisk the tempered mixture back into the pot.  This prevents the eggs from scrambling.
   

3. 3

   Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and bake about 1½ hours, until center is set (the center will still be soft, but you don’t want it to look liquidy).  You can set this dish into a pan of hot water while baking if you prefer.  Remove from oven and let sit at least 20 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.