Resplendent and sumptious and exquisite enough

to be chosen as the embellishment

upon the robes of the Priests of the Lord…

pomegranate, golden bell, pomegranate, golden bell,

pomegranate, golden bell…

this fruit, beautiful to the eye,

and succulent to the taste,

the very food of kings…

somehow is affordable enough to find its way

to our own scarred and scratched

middle-class table.

One of those miracles that you can pass right by…

unless a ray of winter sun slips through the window’s glass

and lights up those scarlet jeweled seeds

and gives spark to every morsel

waiting to be savored….

(1000 Gifts: #158)

We eat them by the handful,

fingers stained with bleeding color…

We eat them sprinkled  on salad

and layered in yogurt parfaits…

But one of the children’s favorite ways

to enjoy them…

is by devouring desert dishes full of

Pomegranate Pudding.

It’s nothing exotic,

though it sounds like ambrosia for royalty.

Just simple vanilla pudding

topped with sparkling pomegranates.

I make our pudding with

fresh milk from Harriet…

the current family cow.

(You may remember Nadia from last summer?

Unfortunately she dried up and had to be replaced)

I use fresh eggs from our chickens,

and maple syrup  instead of sugar.

I won’t tell a lie though…

this recipe is a bit tricky.

I am always fishing around

for little clumps of egg that scramble themselves

when I’ve stirred the egg/cornstarch mixture

into the hot milk/maple syrup.

The end result is quite delicious,

but I’m entirely open to an easier method

if anyone has another pudding recipe using

honey or maple syrup for sweetener.

There are those days

when everything you do or say or think

leaves a taste in your mouth

like last week’s leftovers.

That is the perfect time

to spend a half of hour

whisking together

some Pomegranate Pudding.

It will hurry the children on

through the formidable, twice-served, lentil stew

and they will come and crowd around

and thank you with crimson-stained

kisses…

I promise.