GINGERBREAD
SLOW COOKER PUDDING

GINGERBREAD PUDDING


Let’s celebrate Fat Tuesday in real New Orleans style with the big easy New Orleans Bread Pudding. The newest Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen.
Starting with my story of this recipe I have to go way back to my young days and daily walks around New Orleans to discover the city. I happened to be there on a movie location, way back-when the world was steady-and you could just cruise around the city on your own.I stumbled on The New Orleans School of Cooking on Conti Street and walked in. I met Joe Cahn who opened the original school in the 80’s. I signed up for a class on New Orleans cuisine which included File’ Gumbo (real deal), Jambalaya, Pralines, and of course Bread Pudding.
That’s what I fondly called him after my first day of cooking class. I remember him teaching us to make the roux for the gumbo, which you must take to a near-burning-smoking dark chocolate brown color, you must be daring! This is what gives the gumbo its flavor. I knew I was somewhere special and saved my recipe packet, complete with my notes, which I still have to this day.
The thing is this is one of the easiest recipes and one of the best from the class. The basic ingredients are all mixed together, then poured into a buttered baking dish. A big easy. After baking a puffed, brown sweet pudding emerges. You of course, must complete the dish with Whiskey Sauce.
I searched and found about Joe, who sadly has passed. He was a key chef in the New Orleans food scene. In my search I found this photo of the original cooking school location. Just as I remember walking in to a a young bride visiting the city. Joe loved the great culinary treasures of the region and shared so we could take them home and make them our own. My memory was prompted by all the Super Bowl Images of New Orleans, a beautiful city.
Every year, about the time of Fat Tuesday, I get the urge to bake up a real New Orleans bread pudding, via Joe’s recipe. Nothing could be easier and better than this recipe. The only tweak I have made is soaking the raisins in whisky prior to baking-adding a boozy-punch to the pudding. Of course I top it with the whiskey sauce, repeating the flavor.
Join me in celebrating Fat Tuesday and the cuisine with New Orleans-Bread Pudding from The Collection.
Cookies & milk for Santa. He really loves oatmeal cookies and these Chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies will make a treat to thank him for his visit. A Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen for the Holidays.
I remember my son and I leaving cookies out and milk for Santa when he was young. Later when a little older he filmed with his video camera not Santa delivering gifts, just Mom. That magical phase had passed but stiil a sweet memory.
The real key to these cookies is the brown butter, do not skip this step. It is really easy to make. Just place the butter in a heavy low skillet. Melt over medium heat, then it will start to foam, then turn clear and you will see the butter browning. DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE PAN. Remove it from the heat when the butter starts to brown and transfer to a glass container to cool before proceeding with the recipe.
Once the butter has cooled you will mix in the brown butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. No need for a mixer, a rubber spatula works great. Just mix until the flour is absorbed. Place the bowl of dough uncovered in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop the dough with a large 2 ounce cookie scoop to make about 15 cookies. Place the scoops on the lined cookie sheet and press down gently to about 1/2 inch thickness. Return remaining dough to refrigerator. Bake the cookies about 12 minutes until the edges are brown and the center is pale and puffed. They may look underdone, but they will continue to bake outside the oven.
Sprinkle lightly with the flaked sea salt and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool for 15 minutes before sampling, if you can!
Good Morning! Your holiday kitchen will smell like sweet French toast when you pull this custard-based bread pudding casserole from the oven. I adore the combination of tart cranberries and savory rosemary, an ideal holiday breakfast.
Just the name of this recipe puts you immediately in the mood for a holiday breakfast event, you don’t want to miss this recipe. A simple bread pudding is made from cubes of sourdough bread soaked overnight with cranberries in an egg batter and made slightly savory with fresh rosemary and lemon. In the morning you are ready to bake.
My Staub Oval Gratin is a treasured Little Jewel. This beautiful color was from the Jenni Kayne Home Collection, where I worked as a designer. William Sonoma carries the oval gratin available in a a pretty graphite color. The gratin’s shape and depth make it a perfect vessel for so many recipes that require a large crust area, such as this Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding. Easy to prepare and a joy to serve.
It is served here with a cranberry whipped crème fraîche, taking it to the dessert level.
This recipe was originated by Vivian Howard, of Chef & the Farmer in North Carolina which sadly closed. Hopeful she will continue her cookbooks, A Chef ‘s Life show and perhaps open another restaurant. Cheers.
A creamy, smooth & rich sweetie of a no-churn ice cream, just brimming with roasted blueberries-Demerara Roasted Blueberry No Churn Ice Cream, a new Little Jewel from the Membership Collection.
How easy is this recipe? Very easy. it’s a take on no-churn ice cream made special with the addition of Mascarpone cheese. A creamy dream that goes together quickly and is placed in the freezer. Once the ice cream base is the consistency of soft frozen ice cream you add the good stuff. No churn ice cream is new to me, but there are some common threads in most recipes: whipping cream with sweetened condensed milk, then adding in extras. There are organic options for the sweetened condensed milk.
Here are little jewels that you swirl in the almost-set ice cream. Blueberries are roasted with crunchy Demerara sugar and a dash of balsamic vinegar to create the sweet swirls for the ice cream. These blueberries are not just for this ice cream. I have used these blueberries as a sweet topping with morning yogurt, wonderful along side roasted chicken, or blended into your favorite smoothie. A versatile recipe in the kitchen.
This a a very soft ice cream. It never really freezes completely solid due to the richness of the ingredients. However, it is truly wonderful, even if it melts in a minute. Just be ready to roll when you remove it from the freezer. Scoop and serve immediately. The sugar roasted berries add a delightful sweetness. Place the ice cream in the freezer proof container. (I used a silicone loaf pan which gave enough depth to be able to scoop the ice cream). If you happen to have ice cream freezer container, that will work the best. There are lots to choose from here.
Bottom line this is ice cream about as easy and delicious as it gets.