DEAR SUN SPOTS: How great thou art! I have a recipe for the Indian pudding one of your readers was requesting. It is as follows:

Ingredients: 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 4 cups hot milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup molasses. 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup cold milk

Method: Slowly stir the cornmeal into the hot milk in the top of a double boiler. Cook over the boiling water, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 12- by 8- by 2-inch baking dish. To the cornmeal add the rest of the ingredients except the cold milk. Turn into the prepared baking dish; add milk. Bake, uncovered, 50 minutes or until set. Serve hot with ice cream. — Carol Bradford via e-mail

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In reply to No Name, Strong who is looking for a recipe for Indian pudding. The best one I’ve had is from Marjorie Standish, “Cooking Down East.” — Terri DeFilipp, Auburn

ANSWER: Several readers sent in the Standish recipe, but Sun Spots cannot reprint it because the cookbook is still under copyright. However, there are several copies of this cookbook in Maine libraries. If your library does not happen to be one of them, you can ask your librarian to request it from another library.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’ve made this recipe from an old “McCall’s Cook Book” many times — delicious! I usually make this when I bake beans due to the length of cooking time and low cooking temperature. Truly a family favorite — even newcomers enjoy it. — Lou, Auburn

ANSWER: Again, Sun Spots cannot reprint this recipe because of the copyright. This cookbook is still available on amazon.com.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In reply to the July 24 inquiry, see the recipe below for Indian pudding. I recreated this family Thanksgiving favorite following the death of my grandmother Esther George Griffiths (1894-1974), born and raised in Hebron. We believe it came down to Esther from earlier generations of the George or Sturtevant families.

Linda’s 1974 Indian tapioca pudding (serves about 12)

Ingredients: 1 quart milk, 3 tablespoons pearl tapioca (or regular), 4 tablespoons Indian or corn meal, cold water, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, piece of butter the size of a walnut, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon each ginger and cinnamon or nutmeg and cinnamon, sweet or sour apples cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 1 pint cold milk

Method: Scald tapioca in a double boiler for 20 minutes. Wet up meal with water until it makes a paste, add to milk and tapioca, scald a few minutes. Add molasses, sugar, egg, butter, salt, spices and apples; mix well. Pour into a buttered baking dish and put in a 300-degree oven. In 1/2 hour, add milk, stir and bake two hours.

Hard sauce: Thoroughly cream 1/2 cup butter with about 2 cups confectioner’s sugar. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, if desired. Chill to harden.— Linda Griffiths Johnston, Monmouth

DEAR SUN SPOTS: This is in response to No Name, Strong:

Top-of-stove Indian pudding

Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix all together. Cook on high heat stirring all the time until it starts to boil. Boil 5 minutes. Keep stirring, turn to lower heat until thick. Cool. Serve with ice cream or whip cream. I put a little maple syrup on mine. — June Roberts, New Vineyard

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