ADVENTURES OF THE COOKIE QUEEN

This bread pudding I make is an adaptation of a recipe from New Orleans that I have been making for 20 years.  It has evolved based on what I have in my cupboard, my mood and season.  This means that you can modify it too as it is really forgiving!  It’s easy, perfect for a crowd and everyone loves it.

BREAD PUDDING with SAUCE (double recipe because more is better)

2 loaves day old French bread/Challah/dinner rolls - use several different kinds of bread and  it’s yummy
2 quarts milk
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) sweet butter, softened to room temperature
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 cups dried cherries - or whatever dried fruit sounds good
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup whiskey or rum - or any strong, bright liquor that seems to fit the occassion

Crumble the bread into a bowl. Pour the milk over it and let stand for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-by-18-by-3-inch baking dish (I use a lasagna pan) with 2 tablespoons of the butter

In another bowl, beat together 6 eggs, the granulated sugar and the vanilla. Stir this mixture into the bread mixture. Stir in the dried cherries.

Pour into prepared baking dish, place on the middle rack of the oven, and bake until browned and set, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To make sauce, stir 2 sticks (1 cup) butter and confectioners’ sugar together in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very hot. Remove from the heat. Beat the remaining 2 eggs well and whisk it into the sugar mixture. Remove pan from base and continue beating until sauce has cooled to room temperature. Add liquor to taste.

To serve, preheat broiler. Cut pudding into squares and transfer each square to a heatproof serving dish. Spoon whiskey sauce over pudding and run under broiler until bubbling.  If you want to skip this step, it still tastes great.

Yields: makes about 20 portions.

LEFTOVERS:  My kids went crazy…I sliced up the leftovers and grilled them in butter like French toast.  Add syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, whatever and it is a fantastic breakfast!

Happy Chinese New Year coming up on January 26th. This year, it is the “year of the ox.” The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task or an objective. Oxen know they will succeed through hard work and sustained effort and find no truth or benefit in concocting get-rich-quick schemes. This powerful sign is that of a great leader, one who has an ability to achieve great things.  Hmmm, right on the tail of the presidential inauguration…how apropos. Anyway, every year, my friend Shawn has a great Chinese New Year party and today, I am featuring my Chinese New Year cookies from last year – year of the pig.

They are basic sugar cookies tinted pink sprinkled with pink sugar crystals (before baking).   After the cookies cooled, I brushed on a metallic edible dusting powder, in pink, of course. I use these powders all the time and they are available in lots of colors, even ox! You can order them online from Candyland Crafts. In case you do not have an ox cookie cutter and can’t find a cow, which would suffice, go to coppergifts.com and you will find one there (and much more).

Basic Sugar Cookie recipe:

1 1/2 C. butter
1 1/2 C. Sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 1/2 C. flour
2 t. cream of tarter
1 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar well with an electric mixer.  Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl mix flour, cream of tarter and soda.  With mixer on low, slowly add the dry mixture to the butter mixture until well blended.  Roll out to 1/4″ and cut into shapes.  Bake for 6 - 7 minutes.

The Gravensteins are ripe and ready for picking so we headed over to the Ernst family compound - 120 acres of forest, orchards, a garden, and an ancient donkey named Pepe. Lisa, my ex-Manhattanite, and very stylish friend, hosted a cider pressing party with her husband, Richard, a Dwell-loving artist and volunteer fire fighter. The potluck started with apple picking and ended with a killer apple crisp and 68 containers of fresh cider. Of course, lots of wine from local producers along with fresh tomatoes from the garden.

Apple Crisp with Dried Cherries & Ginger

For topping

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup almond meal
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon salt
1 lb. unsalted butter (4 sticks), room temperature
1 cup almonds (or any nut), lightly toasted, chopped
1 cup chopped crystallized ginger

For Filling
4 pounds Gravenstein or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, sliced
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

Make topping:
Mix oats, almond meal, brown sugar, flour, spices and salt in large bowl. Add butter and rub in until coarse crumbs form. Mix in almonds and ginger.

Make filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Combine apples, cherries, sugar, lemon juice, flour and ground cinnamon in large bowl. Mix to blend well. Place filling in baking dish.

Sprinkle topping over apples. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.