By: Rehana Hayat, SFU Student

Pouding chômeur is a delightful dessert that my family enjoys during all four seasons of the year! The title of this dessert in French translates to “pudding of the unemployed.” The dish originated during mass unemployment in Québec caused by the global oil crisis in the 1970s. In their quest to find meals with low-cost ingredients for their members, a workers’ union from Québec wrote about it in a contemporary cookbook.

While the pudding’s sauce base was made with brown sugar and water in its original recipe, as maple syrup became more affordable by the 2000s, it became a part of the sauce. Here is how I usually like to make pouding chômeur!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar 
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½  cup brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup maple syrup

Notes: 

1) The ingredients and instructions here describe how to make two servings for this recipe, though you may experiment with making more or less servings.

2) I suggest you make the solid portion and sauce separately. 

Instructions:

1. First work on the solid portion, starting by adding a cup of flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Then, add in ⅓ cup of granulated sugar that is followed by a teaspoon of baking powder.
3. Next, put in a ¼ teaspoon of salt, followed by adding in a ¾ cup of milk and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
4. To make the sauce, bring out another mixing bowl. Then, add in half a cup of brown sugar and half a cup of water.
5. Add in a ¾ cup of maple syrup for the sauce. 
6. Bring out a larger baking tray, then place in the solid portion followed by the sauce on top.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, then place this tray into the oven. Let it bake for about 30 minutes or until the batter has fully solidified.
8. Let the resulting dessert cool down for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Hopefully making this recipe turns out great for you. Remember, it is also important to stay patient for the cooking and baking process. Personally, I usually fast for 21 hours on Mondays during the summer, and it does take me a lot of time to cook a healthy meal for myself, so I must remain patient throughout. In the end though, my favourite dessert is still pouding chômeur!