Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
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 was recently asked if I would like to road test a fab product in The English Kitchen. As you know I get sent things from time to time and I always enjoy trying them out and letting you know what I think of them.
The people from Vitamix recently sent me their Vitamix TNC Black to try out and I have spent the last little week or so really putting it through it's paces!
First a little bit about the machine itself . . .
The Vitamix machine is more than just a blender, it's actually a fabulous machine which can create healthy meals in a very quick and easy way. The Vitamix Total Nutrition Center® lets you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.
 | VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL & HIGH SPEED SETTING The Variable Speed Control allows for flexibility and creativity; fine chop, grind or fully blend ingredients, all in one container. The High Speed Setting allows for maximum processing, especially for thicker ingredients and larger recipes. |
| POWERFUL - 2 PEAK OUTPUT HORSEPOWER MOTOR Propels the blade tip speed up to 386 km/h to blend even the toughest ingredients. |
| SHATTER-PROOF 2-LITRE CONTAINER With 2 litres of true blending capacity and specially designed to create a powerful vortex for thorough processing. |
| SPILL-PROOF LID WITH REMOVABLE LID PLUG Seals securely allowing ingredients to be added while processing. |
| METAL-TO-METAL, CONTAINER-TO-BASE COUPLING For maximum durability and long life. |
| UNIQUE TAMPER Allows for processing thick, dense ingredients and prevents air pockets from forming. |
| EASY-GRIP HANDLE AND SOFT-TOUCH CONTROLS Ergonomically designed for comfort and control. |
| PLUS "LET'S GET STARTED!" DVD, "GETTING STARTED GUIDE" and "WHOLE FOODS RECIPES"COOKBOOK Will have you on your way to creating the most delicious and nutritious meals in no time. |
| FULL 7-YEAR WARRANTY An impressive warranty that speaks to the reliability and performance of a Vitamix machine. |
I've been taking the "Getting Started Guide" and the "Whole Foods Recipes" cookbook that came with it to bed with me for a week now and studying it up really well. I wanted to give this impressive piece of kit the best workout possible and I also wanted to be able to give each of you an honest opinion of what it can or cannot do.
Today I made a hot soup in it, using a recipe from the cookbook that came with it. "Harvest Cheddar Soup." The recipe promised a delicious nutitious soup in with about 10 minutes prep time, and 6 to 7 minutes processing time. You can see all of the ingredients lined up here, ready to go.
(here is everything in the machine, just waiting for me to press the on button!)
I wanted to really give the recipe the best chance possible and so I made sure to have all my "mise en place!" I didn't want to risk leaving anything out.
I boo booed though. I got the variable speed wrong. I thought it said variable speed 4 to 5 for 10 minutes, but it really said variable speed 10 for 4 to 5 minutes! And so . . . the first thing I did was to overload my machine!! The Automatic overload Protection option is a built in feature which is designed to protect the machine from overheating! I'm happy to say that this option works like a charm. So my 7 minute soup took me a lot longer than 7 minutes because I had to let the motor cool down.
Nevertheless I persevered and after the motor cooled down, I proceeded as per the recipe instructions (always read a recipe a few times first folks, so you don't mess up!) and I ended up with a beautiful thick and delicious soup in . . . I kid you not . . . just a few minutes! I was amazed at how how it was. It was steaming hot! I tried to get a picture of the steam, but I couldn't. You will just have to take my word for that.
Doesn't that look good??? It sure does, and let me tell you it was amazingly scalding hot!
It was also amazingly delicious and most importantly very healthy! There is everything in there, as the recipe used all of two already baked potatoes, skin and all, two whole unpeeled granny smith apples, celery, onion, etc. Only the potatoes were cooked before adding. Everything else was added raw and it was absolutely amazing to me that it all ended up as a hot soup!
This is a whole foods machine. It purpotes to make light work of tearing down the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, making vital nutrients more readily available for your body to absorb. With a Vitamix machine, even the nutrient-packed peels, pulp and seeds can be pulverised and blended into recipes for some of the most health-protecting, disease-preventing dishes and drinks you've ever had.
And after tasting this delicious soup, I can attest that it did just that.
*Harvest Cheddar Soup*
Makes 6 cups
Printable Recipe
This recipe can be reduced by half and made in smaller containers. Garnish with sour cream and diced apple. (From the Vitamix Whole Food Recipes book)
2 cups chicken broth (480ml)
2 TBs white wine
1/4 medium onion, peeled
1 stalk celery, cut in half
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered
2 potatoes, baked and quartered
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch white pepper
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (115g)
Place all of the ingredients, except the cheese into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.
Select variable 1.
Turn the machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
Blend for 6 to 7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.
Reduce the speed to Variable 4 and remove the lid plug.
Drop in the cheese through the lid plug opening. Blend for an additional 15 seconds.
Per cup (240ml) serving: 224 cal; 10g protein; 8g Tot fat; 28g Carb
Of course, you know I wouldn't serve a bowl of soup all on it's own, would I?
Of course not! I baked some tasty Cheddar and Marmite Scones to have along with it!They went down a real treat. Made from a mixture of whole meal and self raising flours, a sharp cheddar cheese . . . and filled with a subtle flavour of marmite, these were fabulous!
*Cheddar and Marmite Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe
The perfect savoury scone to have with a hot bowl of soup, or with some cold sliced meats and cheese. Perfect for in the lunch box too! Healthy and whole meal.
140g self raising flour (1 1/4 cup)
140g wholemeal flour (generous cup)
1 tsp baking powder
50g cold butter, cut into small cubes (3 1/2 TBS)
85g mature cheddar cheese (scant cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS Marmite
2 TBS Greek yogurt
3 TBS milk, plus more to glaze
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the self raising flour, wholemeal flour, and baking powder in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in half of the cheese. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk together the egg, marmite, yogurt and milk. Pour this all at once into the well in the centre of the flour mixture. Stir together with a fork to make a soft dough. If you think the dough is too dry, you may add a bit more milk. You want a soft, but not sticky dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface, Pat out to about 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamping it straight down and lifting it straight up, re-rolling the scraps as necessary, until you have 8 rounds.. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with some more milk and then sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool..
The machine is very easy to clean. You just half fill it with warm water, add a few drops of dish soap and blend for about 2 minutes. Easy peasy lemon squeasy!
Next, I decided to make the Custard Sauce recipe from the book. The Toddster loves his puddings, and he always loves them with custard. The recipe in the Vitamix Cookbook promised to make this sauce in 6 minutes. This time I had cottoned on to how exactly to use it, so I had no mishaps and true to it's word in about 6 minutes I had a delicious Vanilla Custard Sauce. I did a video of that too, but somehow I lost it. (I've never claimed to be a techno genius!) Of course. . . I didn't serve that all on it's own either. I made Todd a delicious Steamed Apple Pudding to have along with it. Yes, I know, he is one very spoilt man! You'll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe, as I am pooped now and ready to take a rest!
The Vitamix also makes delicious ice cream in only 2 minutes, which I will also show you at another time!
In the meantime I have to say that all told I am very impressed with this beautiful machine. It is soooooo much more than a blender. It promises to do the work of 10 kitchen appliances and let you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.
- Blend fresh fruits and vegetables into tasty, fibre-rich whole food juice in 1 minute
- Cook steaming hot soup from fresh vegetables in under 5 minutes
- Create delicious healthy ice cream in only 30 seconds
- Dice, chop or blend ingredients into healthy, preservative-free salsas, dips and more
The Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre® is backed by full 7 year warranty and comes complete with a Getting Started DVD, Getting Started Guide Manual and a Whole Foods Cookbook which all go a long ways towards getting you stuck right into healthy cooking quickly and effortlessly.
Many thanks to Aaron at Publicacity, and to the Vitamix people for affording me this fabulous opportunity!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
As luck would have it I began my weekend with some fresh raspberries that I wanted to use up and a stale loaf that was not in it's prime. The weekend is usually a time when we have ourselves a bit of a treat for breakfast and so I decided to do us a baked french toast casserole, but with a bit of a difference . . .
Baked French Toast casseroles are a little bit like bread puddings I think . . . not quite as sweet, but it's a very fine line that divides them in my opinion.
Whilst one is a total pudding/dessert . . . the other is meant to be a main course . . . and what a lovely main course it can be.
I like to think it's a bit healthier . . . baking your French Toast rather than frying it . . . don't you??? There is not a lot of butter used, except to butter the baking dish, and of course you could opt to use a really healthy kind of bread if you really wanted to . . .
But if you are like me, in for a penny in for a pound. A sturdy white loaf works beautifully. With a layer of Maple syrup on the bottom of the dish, a vanilla and lemon flavoured custard . . . tart red raspberries scattered throughout, and a crisp crunch on top of demerara sugar, this is a winner on all counts.
Of course you could be really hedonistic and top your serving with a huge dollop of clotted cream . . . but I'm being good these days. Low Fat Greek Yoghurt was my choice of topping today.
Delicious. Simple. Easy. Satisfying. The perfect Saturday morning breakfast.
*Baked French Toast with Berries*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe
Who doesn't love French Toast, or Eggy Bread as it is sometimes called. This is a simple easy version that is delicious and allows you to enjoy some time with your family and guests rather than keeping you chained to the stove.
750ml milk (a generous 3 cups)
4 large free range eggs
the finely grated zest of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp softened butter
80ml of pure Maple Syrup (approximately 1/3 cup)
8 to 10 slices of day old bread, crusts removed and torn into chunks
2 handfuls of berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, black currants, etc.)
2 TBS demerara sugar (turbinado)
To serve:
Greek Yoghurt or Clotted Cream
Prreheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 10 inch round oven proof casserole dish. Set aside.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.
Drizzle the maple syrup over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of bread. Scatter some berries over top of the bread. Top with another layer of bread, and berries. Repeat until all is used up, making sure you have some berries on top. Pour the egg mixture over top. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until set and lightly browned. Serve warm with some Greek Yoghurt or if you are really feeling indulgent, clotted cream.
Since my kitchen is still not quite in working order, I thought it would be fun today to talk about some of the more traditional Savoury Dishes that I have cooked here in The English Kitchen. In some cases I have taken the traditional and added a slight twist, which I love to do. The essence remains the same and all are quite delicious, if I don't say so myself!
Toad in the Hole
This is my meat and potatoes loving husband's favourite meal, and who wouldn't like it. With it's delicious Yorkshire Batter Pudding Base and Thick English Bangers, it is a family pleaser all round. Especially when served up with mash and lots of onion gravy!
Lancashire Hot Pot. Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare.
Beer Battered Fish and Chips Moist and flakey fish encased in a traditional crisp beer batter, fried until golden brown. Oh so delicious, especially when served up with fat chips and mushy peas, or minted peas if you have no mushy peas to hand! (I love it both ways!)
Perfect Egg and Chips A perfectly fried egg, served with crisp chips and slices of buttered bread in the traditional way. All the better to make a hot chip buttie with! (Yes that's hot chips wrapped up in a buttered slice of white bread. The butter melts and the whole thing is just fabulously tasty.) Simple and filling and oh so wonderfully comforting.
Welsh Cheese Pudding A bread and butter pudding of sorts filled with lovely leeks, welsh cheese, eggs and milk. A simple and comfortingly filling dish.
Bangers and Mash
and not just any Bangers and Mash, but Sticky Bangers with a Chive and Buttermilk Mash! Scrummo!!
Spam Fritters, surprisingly tasty! Don 't knock them or turn your nose up til you try them. They are oddly addictive!
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder. Oh, this is a gorgeous Sunday Lunch Treat! With lovely crisp roast potatoes, and vegetables, lotsa gravy. Oh yum...
The Great Cornish Pasty. A beautiful thing, filled with steak, potatoes, onions and swede. Oh, and that pastry. So delectable!
Posh Beans on Toast. Dressed up tinned beans served on cheese and onion toasties.
Lamb Stew with Feather Dumplings. So called feather dumpling because they are made with potato and light as a feather!
Cauliflower and Cheese. The ultimate in comfort and tradition, and not boring in the least.
Cottage Pie with Potato Cobbles. Oh so delicious with the surprise of a sliced potato and cheese topping over a rich beef, vegetable and gravy base.
Macaroni Shepherds Pie. A delicious Shepherds Pie with a twise . . . delicious lamb filling, topped with a scrummy Macaroni and Cheese topping!
Baked Corned Beef Hash. The traditional with a little twist, baked and topped with cheese. Delicious!
Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings. We are great stew lovers in this house, and dumplings make a fabulous dish every fabulous-er! (yes, I know, not a real word.)
Perfect Roast Chicken. Deliciously flavoured with carrot, leek, onion and butter. Moistly delectable.
A Mild Lamb Curry. Creamy and mild, with tender chunks of lamb in a well flavoured curry sauce. In short, delicious.
Chicken and Mushroom Casserole with Crusty Dumplings. Tender bites of chicken, with savoury mushrooms in a rich sauce, topped with crusty dumplings. Need I say more???
Of course there are many, many more traditional recipes on my site, but I've made myself rather hungry now. I think I'll have to go and make myself some bread and marmite and dream about a day in the not too soon future when my kitchen is again workable. Buttered Bread and Marmite . . . another tasty tradition, which you either loathe or love, or both.
Don't lose faith in me, there will be some new scrumminess soon, I promise!!
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