Category: Dessert

No. 584Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

NOLA Bread Pudding

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

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.

NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING

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.

‘CRAZY’ JOE

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.

NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING

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.

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewel

 

 

ORIGINAL NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING

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.

 

BREAD PUDDING

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.

NOLA Bread Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Join me in celebrating Fat Tuesday and the cuisine with New Orleans-Bread Pudding from The Collection.

 

No. 569Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies | Bijouxs Little Jewels

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.

COOKIES & MILK

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.

BROWN BUTTER

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.

CHILL OUT

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.

Chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies | Bijouxs Little Jewels

BAKE THE COOKIES

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!

 

No. 567Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding

Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

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.

BREAKFAST PUDDING

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.

Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

STAUB GRATIN

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.

Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

It is served here with a cranberry whipped crème fraîche, taking it to the dessert level.

Cranberry-Rosemary Breakfast Pudding | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CHEF &THE FARMER

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.

 

No. 566Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Demerara Roasted Blueberry No Churn Ice Cream

No Churn Blueberry Ice Cream| Bijouxs Little Jewels

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.

NO CHURN ICE CREAM

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.

Demerara Roasted Blueberry No Churn Ice Cream | Bijouxs Little Jewels

DEMERARA ROASTED BLUEBERRIES

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.

Demerara Roasted Blueberry No Churn Ice Cream | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CREAMY NO-CHURN RECIPE

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.

Demerara Roasted Blueberry No Churn Ice Cream | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Bottom line this is ice cream about as easy and delicious as it gets.

No. 562Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Autumn is here and with the season arrive persimmons, a perennial favorite in the Bijouxs Kitchen here with a new recipe. Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars made with a little gleaning, always a little jewel in the kitchen.

GLEANING FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Let’s start with the gleaning of the persimmons. Gleaning is new term to me, defined as the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Turns out I have been gleaning for years.

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Along my neighborhood walks I find crops of fruit and vegetables that have fallen to the ground, soon to be food for the critters. I’m careful not to encroach, but lemons, avocados, and persimmons which all thrive in the beach-influenced climate fall off the tree, often sitting for a days are perfect candidates for gleaning. I know my neighbors and they have give me clear reign to collect fallen fruit.

PERSIMMONS IN FALL

Persimmons have a storied place in my blog. Some of my very first posts way back in 2012, with my recipe for Persimmon Pudding, which is the crown jewel recipe for the season. I also have made wonderful cookies which were shared by a dear friend.  I only had a small gleaning of 4 persimmons which I had used in a “punk ikebana” floral workshop with the amazing Ojai artist Louesa Roebuck. I love her works are her books are amazing, so beautiful check them out here.

PERSIMMON BARS

I was seeking a new way to use persimmons, and with only four I had some limits. It is a natural jump from cookies to bars, which is where my mind went, sort of a persimmon bar like a brownie. Seems there are a plethera of persimmon bar recipes, so I had some choices. This recipe is one of the minimalist recipes, close to a cookie but thicker and softer with a crackling lemon glaze.

Now, my four ‘gleaned’ persimmons may appear a bit sad, however, I ripened them in a paper bag along with an apple. Although they had not visually changed they were soft and ripe, perfect to cook with.

This bar recipe is very easy. I used my stand mixer to complete the final mix of the batter, but you can do it by hand. I found that if the baked bars are covered, they are even better the next day, with the crackling lemon glaze.

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars |Bijouxs Little Jewels

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Persimmons are fall’s little jewels.

 

 

Still Hungry?