As you know I occasionally get sent a cookbook to test out and review . . . I know . . . it's a hard job but somebody's got to do it!! I'm always more than happy to help out in that way!

This week I was sent the Cookie Doug Lover's Cookbook, by Lindsay Landis. You may already be familiar with her blog, Love and Olive Oil. (Lucky girl to have a publishing deal! Buck up Britain, there's lots of fab food bloggers over here who should have cookbooks published!)

Lindsay has invented the perfect cookie dough. It tastes great. It's egg free and perfectly safe to eat raw. it mixes up quick and easily, and, best of all, you can use it to make dozens of delicious cookie dough creations, from cakes, custards, and pies to candies, brownies, and even granola bars.



Included are recipes for indulgent breakfasts (cookie dough doughnuts!), frozen treats (cookie dough Popsicles!), and outrageous snacks (cookie dough eggrolls! cookie dough fudge! cookie dough pizza!). If your mom ever caught you with your finger in the cookie dough bowl and if raw cookie dough is your secret indulgence . . . then this book is for you!



It's a beautifully laid out book with clear instructions, beautiful full colour photographs to accompany each recipe . . . I love that it is coil bound, so that the pages stay open with no problem at all. It's a great size, not too big, not too small . . . just perfect for having on the countertop next to you while you cook, but it also stands up really well on it's own, which is also a bonus! There are also lots of nice tips on ingredients, equipment, packaging ideas, etc.



As you know I would never review a cookery book without trying out some of the recipes and I have done just that, with fab results! Today I made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bread Pudding. We are bread pudding nuts in this house!



It was so easy to put together. All of the instructions were clear and easy to understand. Even though there were three separate components of the recipe . . . it was neither long, nor hard to execute, nor really long winded. It went together lickety split really.



Oh my but it smelled gorgeous when it was cooking . . . I could hardly wait to get it out of the oven. It was just beautiful when it was done.



I did make a few modifications. Because there are only two of us, I cut the recipe down by a third and baked it in two individual pie dishes . . . with each dish being cut in half to serve two people . . . but let me tell you, this was soooo good I could easily have eaten one all by myself. Dangerous stuff indeed!



The only thing that could have made it any better would have been a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream crowning it. I didn't have any. Boo Hoo!! Anyways, if this recipe is any indication of the ease and perfection of the rest of the recipes in this delightful little book, it's a winner winner chicken dinner!!



Buy it NOW! You won't regret it. It has a wonderful variety of recipes to please just about anyone, and would make a nice addition to anyone's collection! I am so glad I didn't make the full recipe . . . this one is pretty hard to resist and reduced my will power to just about N-I-L!!



*Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bread Pudding*
Serves 12 (I have successfully cut this down to a third of a recipe)
Printable Recipe

Three little words . . . deliciously decadently MOREISH! May I add Nom Nom!!

For the Bread:
1 (1 pound) loaf of brioche or French bread cut into 3/4 inch cubes
(About 7 cups, or 455g)
1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted (57g)

For the Custard:
3 large free range eggs
3 cups of half and half (675ml of a mixture of half cream and half milk)
1/2 cup of granulated sugar (95g)
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar, packed (100g)
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (57g)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (48g)
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar, packed (100g)
1 TBS half and half or cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour (99g)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (180g, I used Green & Blacks milk chocolate, chopped)

Pre-heat your oven to 200*C./400*F/ gas mark 6. Toss the bread cubes with the melted butter and spread them out onto a couple of large rimmed baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.

Place the bread cubes into a 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Whisk together all of the custard ingredients. Pour this over the bread. Let stand for 30 minutes, giving it a turn every so often so that the bread absorbs the custard evenly.

Cream together the butter and sugars for the cookie dough until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and cream. Mix in the flour and salt until incorporated. The dough should come together in large clumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Crumble half of the cookie dough over the bread in the dish and gently fold together until the dough is covered with custard and evenly distributed. Crumble the remaining dough over top.

Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until the top is puffed and golden brown and a silver knife inserted near the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from the Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook by Lindsay Landis





The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook, ritten by Lindsay Landis and published by Quirk Publishing
ISBN 978-1-59474-564-5

US $18.95/$19.95 Canada/£11.69 UK

Many thanks to Matt and Quirk Publishing for sending me this lovely book to review. I give it 10 out of 10!

I often wonder why it is that, when I don't have any rhubarb to hand, I can always find loads of recipes that I would love to try using it in. And yet, when I do have some, I struggle to think of something to do with it . . .

I suppose in a way it's like money. I can think of a million things to spend it on, but when I have £20 in my purse, I can't find a single thing that I really want to buy . . .



There was some rhubarb in my Able & Cole veggie box this week and I really had a hard time deciding what to do with it. This was compounded by the fact that I don't really have a working oven at the moment. Roll on Monday!

When I was a girl, my mother used to give us stalks of raw rhubarb to eat, along with bowls of sugar to dip it in. I had always loved this jaw achingly delicious treat, kind of like an all natural lick-em-aid. I didn't think that either Todd or I were quite up to this, although I do confess that I did try a small piece with sugar to see if I still loved it that way. Umm . . . no.



I finally decided to fall back on my Abel & Cole cookbook. I figured that if they sent it to me, then there must be a recipe in that I could use to cook it. There was, Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding, and it was delicious. I halved the recipe, because there are only two of us, and because we can only eat so much, not to mention . . . because my convection oven is only so big. I also skipped the water bath, as, well . . . I just couldn't fit the both of them into my convection oven. Thankfully, it turned out pretty good regardless!



The original recipe didn't have any measurements, only a mug sized measure of things. I decided to actually measure them, and the amounts are reflected in my adaption of the original recipe. You can add more sugar to the rhubarb if you wish, depending on how sweet you like it. The amount I used was perfect for us.



*Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

I have always loved rhubarb . . . in pies, cakes, even shortbreads. I had never thought of using it in a bread and butter pudding until the other day. This is pure genius, and oh so very delicious as well! Adapted from the Abel & Cole Cookbook.  

6 stalks of rhubarb, topped, tailed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sugar, divided
butter
12 slices of white bread, crusts removed
4 large eggs
8 ounces cream
4 ounces whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Creme fraiche to serve



Place the chopped rhubarb in a bowl along with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Allow to sit for about an hour or so, so that it softens slightly and becomes all juicy.

Butter all the bread slices on one side and butter a 10 inch square baking dish. Lay 4 slices of the buttered bread, buttered side down in the baking dish. Spread half of the rhubarb over this. Repeat and then top finally with the last four slices of bread.

Whisk together the cream, milk, eggs. second 1/2 cup of sugar and the vanilla.  (Mix well together so that the sugar melts somewhat.)  Slowly strain this mixture over top of the bread. Grate some fresh nutmeg over top and then place in the fridge for approximately an hour to allow the custard to soak in somewhat.

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Place the pudding dish into a large roasting tin. Fill the roasting tin with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Carefully set in the heated oven. Bake for about 1 hour, until the pudding is set and the top is golden brown.

Spoon onto dessert plates and serve warm with a dollop of creme fraiche.

I've been experimenting here and there, trying to come up with lower fat and sugar versions of some of our favourite treats, thinking that Todd could benefit from them as well, even though he doesn't have to watch his sugar intake, he does have to watch his cholesterol.

(Waiting to go into the oven.)

The Toddster and I discovered a 99p store the other day at our local trading estate. I am sure it's been there for a few months, but we had never been in it until the other day.   Everything in the shop is only 99pence, and not a penny more, and in some cases, even less.  There is a lot of tat in there admittedly,  but there's also lots of name brand stuff in there too.  It's quite amazing.  We ended up going twice this week.

I picked up packages of waffles the other day, with 8 in a pack for . . . you guessed it, 99p a pack.  I couldn't resist, so I bought several packs . . . and then when I got them home, I thought . . . what am I going to do with all these waffles???

 
(Fresh out of the oven.)

It's crazy what you find yourself buying when it's a bargain.  The number of times I've purchased all the buy one get one free deals at the grocery store is nobody's business . . . things I wasn't even shopping for, but . . . meh . . . it's free!  I'm trying to do better with that now, truly I am.  It's not really a bargain if it's something you weren't going to buy in the first place!!

 
(Dusted with Icing Sugar)

So anyways, I found myself with several packs of the waffles and we can only eat so many . . . and so I sat there and tried to think of something I could make with some of them that wasn't "waffle-ee!"  They are kind of like a cross between cake and bread . . . and pancakes . . . perfect dessert material, and so . . .

 

I made a type of bread pudding with them.  Not just any bread pudding though.  You know me . . . I like things to be a bit different, kind up charged up if I can.



Last month I bought a HUGE bag of dried cranberries at Costco . . . another one of those deals I couldn't resist . . . we love cranberries and I like the dried ones in my morning oats from time to time.  So I decided that I would try to incorporate some of them into this pudding.



Cranberries and white chocolate go really well together, and so I decided to use some white chocolate as well . . . and well . . . my favourite type of sweet loaf is Cranberry and orange, and so I used this flavor as well.  I macerated the cranberries in Orange Liqueur and orange juice to plump them up a bit.  Fabulous!

 

Altogether this worked very, very well.  Almost too well.  I haven't been able to keep my fork out of it ever since it came out of the oven.  I keep digging in for . . . just one more bite.  It seriously needs to be locked up!

 

In other words . . . to die for.   I think you'll find I'm right when I say it is pretty near impossible to resist.  This may be the best "bread" pudding I've ever made!!



But don't just take my word for it.  Try it out for yourself . . . just  remember . . . you've been warned!



*Cranberry and White Chocolate Waffle Pudding*
serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

This may be the best pudding you have ever baked or eaten.  You have been warned.  This is very hard to resist.

450g of waffles (about 14)
150g of dried sweetened cranberries (1 cup)
1 TBS orange flavored liqueur
200g of good quality white chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
55g of golden caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 heaped TBS of plain flour
3 large free range eggs
the juice and finely grated zest of one orange
500ml of double cream (2 cups)
sifted icing sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Butter a medium sized glass oven dish.  Set aside.

Put the cranberries into a microwave proof bowl, along with the orange liqueur and orange juice.  Heat on high for one minute.  Stir and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.  Drain the cranberries, reserving the juices.

Cut the waffles into 1 inch cubes.  Place half of the waffle cubes in the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with half of the  infused cranberries and the chopped chocolate.  Top with the remaining waffle cubes.  Sprinkle with the remaining chopped chocolate and cranberries.  Drizzle the juices over all.

Whisk together the flour, orange zest and sugar in a bowl to combine.  Whisk in the eggs and cream until thoroughly combined.  Pour this mixture evenly over the waffles.  Gently press the waffles down to help absorption.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Bake in the heated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, spooned out into bowls along with cream or ice cream.

 

 

One of the things I love most about the food blogging world is that you get to touch base with food bloggers from ALL over the World!  I think that's pretty cool.   It makes the world . . . well . . . not so big a place, and it opens up your palate to all sorts of variety and possibility.   At least that's my theory.

I was contacted recently and asked if I would be willing to participate in an activity to help to promote the launch of a new cookery book by one of the world's best food photographer/food bloggers Jules Clancy of the popular food blog Stone Soup.  As a part of this activity I was asked to submit an ingredient which she could give me some recommendations for cooking quickly and deliciously.

The Stone Soup Blog is all about cooking fresh, healthy and delicious meals that can be cooked with 5 ingredients and in 10 minutes or less.
 

I asked Jules about Swede.   I love Swede, or Rutabaga as it is known in North America and probably other parts of the world.  We always called it turnip when I was a child, but that was a misnomer.  It is a member of the brassica family, but it's not a turnip per se.  In any case we love them in this house.  Here was Jule's advice to me . . .


SWEDES
I'll be honest, swedes aren't my favourite vegetable.  I usually only buy them once or twice a year when I feel like making a huge pot of my Mum's lamb and veggie soup or making a mixed root veg stew.

Given that they take at least half an hour or longer to cook, they really didn't get a look in when I was planning recipes for my book '5 Ingredients 10 Minutes'.  But if you love swedes and would like to include them in your midweek cooking more often, the best thing to do is to cook them on the weekend.  Just scrub and dice and roast in a little oil until golden.  Then keep in the fridge to throw into soups like the simple minestrone in my book.

The roast cubes can also be quickly warmed in a pan to make warm salads more substantial.  They're also great in any dishes involving lentils or eggs or cheese.  Try using your diced roast swede to add bulk to a frittata or omelette or even scrambled tofu.  Or make your favourite pasta bake recipe a bit healthier by replacing some of the cooked pasta with roast swede cubes.

I agree, they can take some length of time to cook, and I appreciated Jules advice to roast or cook it ahead of time, at the weekend, so that you can have some ready to add to soups, salads, omelettes, etc. I personally have a pretty quick way of cooking it myself, which is quite, quite delicious.   I simply grated it on the large holes of a box grater and then pan fry it in a bit of butter.   It's done pretty quickly and is absolutely delicious.   Tis a trick I learned from a Canadian Mennonite.

 

I do love Jule's book.    It's got a fresh clean look to it and peppered throughout with her beautiful food photography.   All of the recipes are nicely written and quite doable!  And yes, quick . . . Quick . . . QUICK!



Recipes for tasty spreads and dips such as this simply beautiful looking warm Cannellini Bean Spread with Parmesan . . . 



to the unusual . . . like this Cream Cheese, Honey and Soy Crostini.  Now tell me that's NOT appealing and intriguing!   The picture alone begs me to create it and the ingredients list . . . simply crusty baguette slices, cream cheese, honey and . . . well . . . soy sauce!  It could not be simpler.

 

But that's not all . . . there is also a beautiful variety of delicious looking and sounding soups . . .



Tasty and beautiful looking salads . . .



Quick easy, fresh and colourful pasta dishes . . .

 

A variety of mains using meat, fish and poultry . . .



And even fresh and delicious desserts.

And . . . all of the recipes use five ingredients or less and are easily created in just ten minutes or less.   One of the main excuses people use today for not eating healthy is that they don't have the time to cook healthy meals . . . this delightful cookery book blows that theory right out of the water . . . it is indeed possible to cook fresh and delicious food, using healthy fresh ingredients in not an awful lot of time!

 

I was personally intrigued by her recipe for Crunchy Bread Pudding.  We love bread pudding in this house, especially the Toddster.   Too often though the recipes make far too much and most of it ends up being thrown away because it just doesn't get eaten in time.   Was it possible to make a delicious bread pudding in ten minutes or less??

Yes.   It is and I did.



*Crunchy Bread Pudding*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Take care to watch while it is baking as it can burn very quickly if you take your eyes off it for even a second.

60g caster sugar (I used golden about 1/4 cup)
125ml whipping cream (1/2 cup double cream)
1 large free range egg
2 thick slices of bread, cut into cubes
cream or ice cream to serve

Preheat your oven grill to it's hottest setting.  Line a large baking tray with some aluminum foil.  Spray it lightly with non stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Whisk the sugar, cream and egg together in a bowl.   Add the bread cubes and squash them into the mixture, allowing it to soak up as much of it as possible.   Spread the soaked bread onto the prepared baking tray.

Cook under the heated grill for about 5 minutes.  Turn the cubes over and grill for another 3 minutes or so until golden brown.

Divide the cubes between two small bowls and serve with cream or ice cream.

Note:  you can use coconut cream instead of the whipping cream and egg to make this dairy-free/vegan;  or use a gluten free bread for a gluten free version, you can add cinnamon to give a spiced flavour, or replace the crea, sugar and egg with a commercial egg free custard for an egg-free version.



Another thing I like about Jules' recipes is that there are many variations included for most of them which give you the opportunity to charge things up.  There are also 10 minute tricks of the trade, etc.

All in all I think this book is a real winner and will take pride of place on my book shelf.

Many thanks to the people from Penguin and Jules for sending it to me.

5 ingredients 10 minutes
delicious, healthy recipes for tired and hungry cooks
by Jules Clancy
Published by Penguin books
ISBN 978-0-718-15874-3
U.K. £14.99

Do take a gander at the banner at the top of my right hand side bar to see all of the other people participating in this blogging event.