3/4 cup Grapenuts cereal
3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (whole or low fat both work great)
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1. Place a trivet in the pressure cooker pot. Pour 5 cups of water into the pressure cooker pot. Take a 1-quart oven-safe baking dish and set it on the trivet. You need the water line to come 1” up the bottom of the baking dish. I find this easier to check when the baking dish is empty-that way I can slide the dish over so that I can see where the line of water on the outside of the dish is. The amount of water you need will all depend on what size your pressure cooker pot is. My 6-quart Cuisinart takes 5 cups-adjust the amount of water you need for your type baking dish and pressure cooker. Once you get the water level right, remove the baking dish and spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the Grapenuts in a small bowl, pour the melted butter over and stir until the cereal is evenly coated with the butter. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Stir in the Grapenuts and raisins, if using.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with a piece of aluminum foil. Place the baking dish on a foil sling and carefully lower it onto the trivet in the cooking pot. Lock the lid in place, make sure the pressure valve is set to SEALING and select High Pressure and 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure.
5. Carefully remove the lid from the pressure cooker and use a paper towel to blot any excess water on the bowl’s foil cover. Lift the baking dish out of the pressure cooker and onto a wire rack. Carefully remove the foil cover and test the pudding for doneness by inserting a knife 1” from the outside edge of the baking dish-it should come out clean. If it isn’t quite ready, cover the baking dish, return it to the pressure cooker with the sling and set the cooker to High pressure for 1-2 minutes more. Quick release, remove the cover from the dish and test the pudding again. The pudding will look VERY jiggly in the center when the edge tests done. Don’t worry-it will firm up as it sits. The Grapenuts and raisins form a layer on the bottom and the cinnamon and nutmeg will have floated to the top. If there is any excess liquid on top of the pudding, use the corner of a paper towel to gently blot it off.
6. Allow the pudding to sit on the wire rack for 20-30 minutes. Here’s where you have 2 options. If you like the layer of custard and Grapenuts defined, you can leave the pudding as is. Leaving it this way makes it easy to cut into pieces for serving. I like everything stirred together so that each bite contains a little of everything-custard, Grapenuts and raisins. The original recipe calls for stirring the pudding when it’s almost done baking. To get the same result with the pressure cooker version, I use a heat-proof rubber spatula and gently stir the pudding until everything is well mixed. This makes it more spoonable.
7. Serve warm, or let the pudding cool to room temperature, then cover and chill.
Yield:5 (2/3 cup) servings