old to new.

I'm a bread junkie. I love me some bread. In fact, when I was young, my snack wouldn't be chips and dips, it would be pandesal and a huuge dollop of Cheez Whiz or a honkin' chunk of Ques-O. Mmmm... bread and cheese. Best combo ever.

Nowadays, I tend to eat my bread with "fancier" accoutrements like fruits, cured sausages, and primo smoked gouda. Or make copy-cat sandwiches inspired from my previous job at Boudin Bakery. Sourdough, seemingly, goes on my top favorite list of carby snacks I have in the house.

This time around, the loaf I had bought to just snack on was taking longer than usual to disappear. It's probably because grocery day is coming up and all the stuff I usually eat with it needs to get replenished. So my little loaf was getting sadder (and staler) by each passing day. I needed to do something... fast.

Solution? Why not a bread pudding? I was kind of wary about it at first. I wasn't sure if the sourness of the bread was going to go with the usual sweetness that I associated with bread pudding. But I had all the ingredients on hand and the rum cream was calling my name.

It didn't turn out too bad, actually. The sauce pretty much covered up any weirdness that the sourdough might have imparted. I added cinnamon to the pudding and used regular raisins since that was what I had on hand. Also, instead of heavy cream, subbed coconut cream instead. Not a bad experiment, but I think I'd stick with a sweeter bread next time...

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Rum Cream
(from ICSCBooks.com)

For Bread Pudding:
8 cups cubed day old sourdough bread
1 cup golden raisins
4 cups milk or half and half
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp melted butter

For Rum Cream:
6 tbsp butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp dark rum
1 cup brown sugar

 
Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, combine bread, raisins and milk. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir into bread mixture.

Pour melted butter into the bottom of a 13x9” baking pan. Spoon in bread mixture. Bake about 55 minutes or until pudding is set and lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes.

While pudding bakes, start cream. Combine butter, cream, rum and sugar in a small saucepan on medium heat. Heat to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer sauce a couple minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Serve pudding drizzled with sauce.

to make a mockery.

Sometimes I like making breakfast just for me. I get to experiment with "weird" food more freely and test things out before introducing it to the hubbs. Take this recipe, for example... this would definitely fall under the "weird" food category for the hubby. Would I make it for him? Eh... maybe.

I didn't have any grape tomatoes in the house, so I decided that I would make a play on eggs benedict. I loooove me some eggs benedict. But since I was feeling slightly lazy, I just scrambled the eggs and made a batch of my favorite mock hollandaise; my go-to recipe ever since I found it on the web.

What I really like about the mock hollandaise is how easy it is. Basically, it's a lemon gravy with the flavor notes of hollandaise. Make a roux, add some milk, then season with lemon and cayenne. Best part? It isn't as fatty and rich as a real hollandaise. :)

I've made this sauce quite a few times already. While the original recipe calls for food coloring, I find that turmeric or ground mustard works just as well. I dunno...adding food coloring to sauces just seem wrong. And why add something that's tasteless when you can add a little depth with additional spice?

Well... kind of.

The 1/4 tsp of mustard or turmeric isn't really that discernible... Here, I use it more for color than for anything else. Occasionally, I'll squirt some Dijon in for taste just to change things up a bit. That, or add chives to the sauce. Overall, this hollandaise is a great recipe to have in your repertoire. Hell, I know I'm glad to have it! Makes life that much more easy, no? ^_^

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Mock Hollandaise Sauce
(barely adapted from Kitchen Project)

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup cream, half and half, or milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground mustard or 1/4 tsp turmeric
ground white pepper

Melt the butter on medium heat in a 1 quart non-aluminum saucepan. Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, and cook till thickened. Add the salt, lemon juice, cayenne, and ground mustard or turmeric. Season with additional salt and ground white pepper to taste.

*This can be made a few days ahead of time and reheated

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Savory Sourdough Parmesan French Toast
(from Knead For Food)

4 slices 1/2″ thick stale sourdough bread
4 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together for the French toast, except the bread. Get a casserole dish large enough for all four slices and pour in half the egg mixture. Place the slices in the casserole and let sit for a few moments. Pour the remainder of the mixture over the bread. Every 3–5 minutes, flip the bread slices around. This will take about 20 minutes for the bread to absorb as much as it can.

Heat a griddle over medium low heat. Butter the griddle and fry the bread two slices at a time. This will take about 3-4 minutes per side. Top with eggs, tomatoes, breakfast meat, or any other savory topping as desired. Serve with a generous drizzle of hollandaise sauce.

low and slow.

When my husband and I were just getting to know each other as friends, the first thing that my husband made for me was ribs with corn on the cob. I remember being impressed... really being wowed by the fact that he could make ribs. I think what really made it memorable was the fact that he used beer as a braising liquid then finished it off with a hefty smearing of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. He had taken the time to put the ribs in the slow cooker before going to work and cooking it on low for about 8 hours. Talk about tender! It was literally falling off the bone!

Since then, he hasn't really cooked that often. Taking on the role as the household chef, I've tried to make it the way that he's done it and failing miserably. The last time that I made his ribs, they turned out horribly soupy. It was okay, but not great. So I decided that I'd leave the beer braised ribs to him and find my own way of making BBQ. Enter the dry rub.

The first time that I saw this mix, I knew that I had to make it. True to the author's words, I had everything in my pantry and it was a jiffy to whip up. When I tried it for making this chicken, what a revelation! It was so flavorful and still moist! So not only did find that I like to use rubs, I like making my BBQ "slow and low".

So taking the cues from the chicken recipe, I looked around the internet to adapt this method to a slow cooker (mostly out of laziness). I found this recipe and took some pointers from there (mainly the cooking times).

Success! So instead of adding any liquid to the slow cooker, I rubbed it down and crusted the ribs with a shit ton of spice rubs. Then I let it cook in its own juices while I was doing my errands. I turned it over about half way through so it wouldn't dry out. Then, since I wanted that caramelized sauce, I slathered my favorite BBQ sauce on it and broiled the sucker for the full 10 minutes. Mmmmm...they turned out exactly like I wanted them to!

They were so moist and tender...almost falling off the bone, but not. For leftovers, I'm gonna be making these into pulled pork sandwiches, lol! And with that... I now have my own style of making BBQ!

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14-Spice Dry Rub Mix
(barely adapted from The Yummy Life)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp celery salt
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp rubbed dried sage
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Or, sift the ingredients into a bowl and whisk them until mixed. Store in airtight container. Makes about 2 cups.

TO USE: Sprinkle dry rub mix on all sides of the meat (chicken, beef, or pork) and rub it in. If you have time, wrap or cover the meat and refrigerate it for 1 hour (or as long as 12 hours) before cooking. The fridge time will enhance the flavor, but it's also good if you cook the meat right away. Grill, pan fry, or bake the meat according to your preference. Also good for seasoning meat in slow cooker.

VARIATIONS:
--For a spicier blend, use hot chili powder (rather than mild) and more cayenne, cumin, black pepper.
--For a sweeter blend, increase the allspice, cloves, mace, and brown sugar.
--For a smokier blend, omit the sweet paprika and substitute all smoked paprika.
--For a low-sodium blend, reduce salt to 1/8 cup.

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Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
(Makes 3 to 4 servings)

1 (3.5 to 4lb) rack pork spare ribs
1/4 to 1/3 cup 14-Spice Dry Rub Mix
1 1/2 to 2 cups BBQ sauce (we like Kraft's Honey Hickory or Sweet Baby Ray's.)

Pat ribs dry. Pat rack very generously on all sides with rub. Place rack in crock pot so that the meatier side is down towards the bottom of the pot. Cook for 6 to 7 hours on low. Halfway through, at the 3 hour mark, turn ribs upside down and continue cooking until tender.

Once the ribs are done, preheat oven to broil. Carefully remove ribs and discard cooking liquid. Place bone side up on a foil lined baking sheet then slather with half the BBQ sauce. Gently turn ribs over and repeat for the meatier side of the ribs. Once the oven is ready, broil ribs for 5 to 10 minutes until sauce has caramelized. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional BBQ sauce as desired.

cooling off.

Today was hot. Like, "Oh my God, I'm gonna kill myself!" kind of hot. And not only that, it was also errand day. Talk about double torture...not only did I want to kill myself, I wanted to do it with little effort and as cold as possible... I'm thinkin' frostbite in Antarctica. Mmmm....snow.

Which leads me to the most awesomely fantastic find I found today in my grocery store: Shaved ice! I was in the produce section of the store when I noticed that they had some samples out for fruit. Being curious, I headed over to see what goodies to try and to my surprise, they had shaved ice! Not just one kind, but two!

What really stood out for these were the fact that they were majorly made from fresh, in-season fruit. They were also a take on Japanese and Hawaiian shaved ice except without the beans. For their version, they used crushed ice, rather than shaved, so it gave them a delightfully crunchy texture. The interesting part? They added tarragon to the tropical version! Wow!

So, of course I had to ask for the recipes. They were so flattered that I asked but since they didn't measure anything out, they just gave me what they put in. I eyeballed the contents so I'll have to tweak the recipe when I actually make it. Without further ado...

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Tropical Island Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 pineapple, cored and chopped small
1/2 cantaloupe, chopped small
1 (12oz) bottle macapuno/coconut sport
1 (14oz or so) can coconut milk
2-3 sprigs tarragon, chopped fine
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine pineapple and cantaloupe in a large refrigerable container. In a separate bowl, mix together the macapuno/coconut sport, coconut milk, and tarragon. Add to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.

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Berry Breeze Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 (1-lbs shell) strawberries, chopped small
1 (6oz shell) blueberries
juice from one orange (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 sprig basil, julienned (optional)
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine strawberries and blueberries in a refrigerable container. Add orange juice and basil (if using) to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.

it's complicated...

I'm a glutton for punishment, I think, when it comes to cooking. Instead of following the recipe, I tend to make things more complicated than they sometimes need to be. Take my stuffed chicken. I had a crazy idea that I'd make it fancier and wow the hubby.

See? Glutton for punishment.

What really sparked the idea was this video of someone deboning a chicken in less than ten minutes. Well, Hell! I can do that! As you might've expected...it took slightly longer than what I thought it would take...

Nevertheless, I plowed on despite almost butchering the hen and was pleased with the outcome. As for the recipe, I altered it just a little, working with things I had on had and/or needed to get rid of... That meant a handful of feta and some onion. I also seasoned the hen with more spices to give it a little more interest.

To save some time, I actually made the stuffing, rolled it, then stored it in the fridge until I was ready to cook it. By dinner time, bringing it to room temperature, searing it, then popping it in the oven was all I had to do besides making the sides to go along with it. Made for an easy dinner, lol.

Presentation-wise, this thing is a beaut! Not only does it slice nicely, but drizzling the pan juices just before serving really makes it wonderfully flavorful. I decided to serve this with some garlicky Brussels sprouts and some buttery mashed potatoes for some classic Americana. Dinner is served!

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Cornish Hen with Mushroom-Leek Stuffing
(adapted from Whole Foods)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 (4oz) can mushrooms, sliced (we use Giorgio chunky portabella)
1/2 cup plain or Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 large sprigs fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp dried savory
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp paprika, plus 1/2 tsp divided
1 (24oz) Cornish game hen, deboned
1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
1/2 tsp onion powder, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Add oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, leeks, and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until browned and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheeses, herbs, and 1/2 tsp paprika. Add the leek mixture and 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper then mix to combine. Set aside.

Arrange hen skin-side down on a clean surface so that it lies open and flat. Drizzle a little oil, enough to lightly coat the hen. Season all over with remaining 1/2 tsp paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, then salt and pepper to taste.

Take stuffing and tightly pack towards the middle of the hen. Fold hen over the stuffing and snugly secure with either wooden skewers or kitchen twine, tucking the stuffing and the ends of the roll.

Add oil to a pan large enough to hold the stuffed hen. Sear the hen on high, turning slowly to evenly color to a golden brown. Transfer to a foil-lined sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Roast for 30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 155°F-160°F.

Transfer hen to a carving board, tent with foil and set aside for 10 minutes (hen will continue to cook as it rests). After the hen as rested, confirm internal temperature is safely at 165°F. Remove and discard skewers or twine, slice, and serve.