Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter eight 4-ounce ramekins and set aside. In a small stainless steel saucepan combine milk, ginger, and sugar, bring to a simmer and let steep for 10 minutes, or until surface of milk shimmers. Pass through a fine strainer into a bowl to remove ginger. Return milk to a clean saucepot and place over medium heat. Add cornmeal, molasses, cane syrup, and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil until surface shimmers, stirring continually, until mixture thickens slightly (about 15 minutes). Whisk in butter and remove from heat; discard cinnamon stick halves.
Place the buttered ramekins onto a baking sheet. Pour the cooked mixture into ramekins, dividing equally. Bake until golden brown and the center of the pudding is just firm, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and just before serving, top with vanilla Ice cream.
Indian Pudding recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine