Rainy Day Bread Pudding

As I type, I can here the rain pelting our windows and see lightning flicker intermittently outside. This has been going on since yesterday afternoon and, as a combined result of the weather and my recently busy life, all I've wanted to do this weekend is cuddle up on the couch and relax. Just as I was settling into the couch though, my attention-and home-cooking-starved JiT announced that he was craving dessert. This is a rather uncharacteristic craving for him, so I knew something had to be done in spite of my desire to be a couch potato.

Of course, baking and desserts, for all their starchy, sticky, sweet and gooey goodness, can often be rather complicated, thus negating any time for relaxation. Lucky for me though, I was able to come up with one very notable, delicious, and perfect-for-a-rainy-day exception: Bread Pudding.

Oh, sure, if you're feeling ambitious bread pudding can be quite the undertaking with steps and layers and specialty breads and all sorts of complicated details. But at its very heart, the idea of bread pudding is meant to be simple: take stale bread, add milk and eggs (and sugar and spices), soak until sopping and bake. The result should be dense and slightly crunchy on the outside, yet impossibly creamy and custard-like in the center. And really; ideally; the whole thing should be simple, simple, simple to make.

If that is your idea of bread pudding, then I have the recipe for you. This version took me less that 20 minutes to mix together last night. I shoved it in the fridge while we fixed dinner, then stuck it in the oven while we were eating. By the time we were ready for dessert, the crusty, puffy, custardy delight was ready for gobbling. And boy was it good.

I'll be totally honest with you -- the blueberry sauce was a complete afterthought that I added this morning when we decided to photograph it for the blog. The original, while equally delicious, us didn't photograph as well.

See:
The sauce took about 10 minutes to create by throwing a few handfuls of frozen blueberries in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of sugar and about a third cup of water. Simmer until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon. The berries add a fresh little pop to contrast the creamy sweetness of the pudding. But, if you prefer your pudding straight up, its just as good.

I should also note, that the picture shows how it looks cold the morning after (possibly even more delicious than straight out of the oven), when its nice and firm. But with a few seconds in the microwave its back to gooey and custardy and melting.

This morning, I enjoyed mine topped with the sauce alongside a cup of coffee. I was so content I could barely hear the rain. Yum.

Bread Pudding
Serves 8

3/4 of a loaf of crusty French bread (about 11 oz.), I bought mine fresh and it worked fine
4 cups of milk (I used 2 cups whole, 2 cups skim but should be fine with whatever you choose)
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup white chocolate chips (or flavor of your choosing such as chocolate, butterscotch or cinnamon)

Grease a 2 quart round casserole or 9x11" baking dish. In a large bowl, tear bread into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently until mixture takes on the consistency of runny porridge or oatmeal.

Pour mixture into prepared dish, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When ready, uncover the baking dish and place in the center of the oven. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until the top is golden and puffy and the pudding is nearly set (it should wiggle slightly when you shake the dish).

Let stand for 5 minutes to cool before serving. Can be served warm or cold, plain or with fruit sauce, ice cream or whipped cream.

As a random side note, Rachel from I'm a Mom in Real Life recently posted about her decorating style, posing the question about what sorts of unique details people use to decorate their own homes. That got me thinking and I realized I've never shared any photos of our condo.

It just so happens that JiT just took a few pics of our place (we're considering selling it if you know anyone interested). If you're interested, take a glimpse into our life on my flickr page.

To answer Rachel's question, a few of my favorite things in our place are: my tapestry-upholstered chair and ottoman, the framed posters we bought at a museum in Australia, the "Nixon" collage that JiT made in art school and (though you can't see them in the photos) the framed art in our bathroom showing golf balls teed up on a lady's, ahem, green. We're unique, what can I say?

Roller Coaster and a Recipe

SIGH.

We got back from our honeymoon on April 6th. Today is April 23rd. During that time, I've been home to sleep in my own bed 7 times. I'll let you to the math...

Where have I been, you ask? If I was more talented and more rested I could probably fit this into that Johnny Cash song, "I've Been Everywhere." But since I'm not, you get a list:

Rockford, IL
The weekend after we got home was Easter, so we went out to my hometime to visit my parents and grandma. The band that played at our wedding was actually doing a set at a local bar so we went dancing one night and got photographed by the local paper (interesting since we're not locals).

My mother and I whipped up a fabulous dinner for Easter, which I'd originally planned to photograph in great detail. But by the time the meal was ready I was so hungry we just sat down and ate. We had smoked ham, green beans with toasted pine nuts, scalloped potatoes, amazing homemade dinner rolls (someday you WILL get that recipe) and, for dessert one of my favorite cakes.

Orange Pudding Cake. The cake is made by folding whipped egg whites into a heavier batter then baking in a bath of warm water which results in a texture thats like half souflee and half custard...with a light, citrus flavor. Light, refreshing, creamy and utterly perfect for Spring. I'm a sucker for those edible flowers sold alongside the fresh herb packs and some supermarkets and they were such a pretty accent for this dish. It just makes me happy.




This is a recipe from Gourmet and its relatively easy if you have a stand mixer. I didn't change much on this one except add a dash of vanilla and replace fresh squeezed juice with bottled OJ. And since I'm feeling lazy, I'm just sending you to the link. Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.


Virgina Beach, VA
Sadly, a happy weekend in Rockford was cut short after a phone call from one of my best friends -- a bridesmaid from my wedding. Tragically, her 18 year old brother, Isiah, was shot to death on Good Friday as he was waiting in his car for his girlfriend to get off of work. This was a random shooting that took away really good kid; someone I'd met on several occasions. Though I did not know him well, my heart was broken for my friend and all the people touched by this tragedy.

Last week, along with our other best friend, I flew to Virginia Beach to be with my friend through a horrific week. We went with her and her family when they viewed Isiah's body for the first time at the funeral home. We stayed with them for 7 hours during the wake; drove her to the funeral. We did dishes, went on food runs, passed out Kleenexs. And finally, I went with them to the funeral home to pick up his ashes. My heart has never hurt the way it did when the nice lady at the funeral home handed Mr. & Mrs. Jones their son's ashes, packed in a glass jar and tucked in a velvet bag.

Connecticut and New York City
After 4 long days in Virgina, I was excited to spend some time at home...but that didn't last long. This week, I've been travelling for work -- a very exciting trip and a wonderful opportunity -- just sort of poor timing for me personally. I started with a trip to Connecticut, someplace I've never been before. After two nights there, I woke very early to take the train from Hartford into Penn Station in NYC -- a beautiful trip at dawn by the way. As I write this, I'm sitting in my company's New York office overlooking Time Square. I spent part of my day at CBS studios and even got to see where they film part of 60 Minutes. Its all been very exciting, but I'm happy to be heading home tonight. Which reminds me....I need to scoot to make my flight.

Promise to share more (RECIPES!!) soon when I get home....to my husband (yep, its still fun to say).

Wedding Photo Preview

Brett and Kiri from Pen Carlson Photography have posted a preview with some photos from our wedding. Based on what they've shared, I can't WAIT to see the rest.

The evening was such a blur that its already started to feel like a dream. I am so grateful that we chose such skillful photographers (not to mention our videographer) to capture the moment. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Spring Salad with Cucumber & Fresh Mozzarella

Sigh. I'm pausing to enjoy how incredibly, comfortably normal this post feels...

After the crazy whirlwind of the last few months, (culminating with a whirlwind rainy/blustry/windy/sleety/totally gorgeous, unforgettable night and followed by seven blissful days in St. Lucia), I am so happy to just get back to life (married life!) and cooking and FOOD!

And just in time for Spring (asparagus and baby lettuces, oh my!)! While we were on honeymoon, I indulged myself with the April issue of Gourmet magazine, a virtual conocopia of fresh, seasonally-inspired recipes. Even while lounging on a perfect sugar-sand beach while the waves lapped at my toes I found myself wistful for my yellow flower apron and brand new pots & pans. Is that wrong?

On our first day back in the US, I decided to spoil JiT (and myself) with a special homecoming meal inspired by some of the recipes in Gourmet:

• Spring salad marrying fresh mozzarella cheese, cucumber moons, lentils, watercress and basil all topped with a lemony vinagrette. Yum!
• Cheese tortellini with asparagus in a thyme and lemon-infused cream sauce, topped with pan-seared garlic-lemon chicken breasts

As JiT pushed back his scraped-clean plate, he leaned over and whispered "You're the best wife ever." Sigh....amazing how changing one little word can make normal life seem absolutely blissful.

Below I've provided my version of the spring salad, since I took some serious liberties from the original recipe. For the tortellini, I followed the recipe almost verbatim, so I'll refer you to the latest issue of Gourmet. Do pick one up; you won't regret it!

Spring Salad with Cucumber Moons & Fresh Mozzarella
I wouldn't normally think to combine these ingredients, but they marry quite well. The fresh burst from the cucumbers plays off of the creamy tang of the cheese. The lentils add an earthy, chewy bite while the basil provides a spicey freshness. A celebration of spring (and perhaps a starter for Easter dinner??).
Serves 4

Juice from 1 lemon (about 4 Tbs.)
3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of green lentils, cooked according to package directions and chilled
1 medium size cucumber, sliced lengthwise and seeded, then sliced into half-moons
1 package fresh mozzarella cheese balls, drained and sliced into medallions
1 bunch watercress, rinsed, patted dry and stems removed
1 small handfull of fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground sea salt & black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste. In another small bowl, pour half of the vinagrette over the lentils and toss unti combined.

To plate the salads, arrange 4 or 5 cucumber moons in the center of each serving plate in a flower shape. Top with 4 or 5 slices of cheese, then another layer of cucumber slices. Spoon 1/4 of the lentil mixture over the cucumbers. Place a handful of watercress and some of the basil on top of the lentils. Drizzle lightly with the a quarter of the remaining vinagrette and dust lightly with salt & pepper. Repeat with remaining plates and serve immediately.

On a side note, for those that are interested, I've posted some pics from our honeymoon on my flickr page. I'm hoping to add some photos from the wedding once I've collected a few...it still feels vaguely like I dreamt the whole thing!