First Lady Bess Truman's Favorite Dessert Was A Delicious Combo Of 2 Classics

Americans have always been fascinated by how and what our presidents eat. For instance, John F. Kennedy's favorite technique of beating egg whites into waffle batter has been immortalized in the National Archives, and, more recently, how Barack Obama orders steak caused a lively debate on doneness. It can barely be explained logically why POTUS Donald Trump is such a fan of McDonald's, but the prez's love for crispy Diet Coke is undoubtedly part of his lore. Taking a step back in history, we discover that one of Harry Truman's preferred sweet treats was his wife Bess's Ozark pudding ... but what the heck is that?

To put it in terms that make sense to a 2020s home chef, an Ozark pudding is a delicious mash-up of an apple crisp and a pecan pie that splits the difference and ends up more like a cake. Outside of Bess Truman's native Missouri, Ozark pudding is sometimes known as a Huguenot torte. Regardless of what you call it, however, the dish is made in much the same manner: by incorporating finely diced apples and what Bess termed "nutmeats" (minced pecans seem to be a popular choice) into a fairly standard batter of eggs, flour, and sugar. The resulting cake is nothing much to look at, but when served warm on a dish with vanilla bean ice cream or a cloud of fluffy homemade whipped cream, it's gooey, comforting, and satisfyingly dense. It's said that Bess Truman even served the pudding to Winston Churchill on the occasion of his "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946.

Growing up in Independence, Missouri, Bess Truman wasn't precisely in the Ozarks region but, rather, right outside of it. There, as in many other places, an Ozark pudding was the kind of recipe that was passed from homemaker to homemaker at church socials and potlucks. While we don't know for sure how Bess learned to make this dessert, her origins seem to hint at this being a family recipe or possibly one that was handed down in her community. 

Bess Truman was known for being incredibly down-to-earth despite being, during Harry Truman's time in office, the preeminent female figure in the United States. She maintained her hardworking, humble persona before, during, and after her stint as First Lady. After the Trumans left the White House, they retired back to Independence, where Bess would receive visiting dignitaries in her childhood home. Perhaps she baked Ozark pudding in the same kitchen and served it to her guests!

During the Truman administration, Bess was asked often for her Ozark pudding recipe, which her secretary would happily dispatch on White House letterhead. Widespread distribution from person to person meant that sometimes, the recipe got adulterated by word-of-mouth, and not everyone was a fan of the results. Some housewives looking to cook like American royalty complained that the cake stuck in the pan or that the filling expanded and spilled in the oven, but that may be due to missing or incorrectly proportioned or substituted ingredients. When baked as intended, however, Bess Truman's Ozark Pudding tastes just as good today.