Leek Bread Pudding

Every day, on my way to work, I pass by a Church in Scotch Plains that has a sign on the corner of their property. They post witty little messages on the sign… things like “Give Satan an inch and he’ll become a ruler.” For 4 years, I’ve been chuckling at whatever play on words they’ve posted that week. But at the end of a long snowy winter, their newest thought pretty much sums up the feelings of just about everyone I know: “Whoever’s praying for snow, please stop!”

I usually like winter, but I’m over it this year. Last Friday it was 65 degrees out, before the temperatures dropped again. It was a cruel tease. I saw tiny little spikes of my hyacinths poking through the soil and then it snowed again. The silver lining is that I can still crank up the oven and make lots of yummy comfort food. So that’s what you’ll be seeing here over the next week or so. Things like this lush leek bread pudding and blueberry butter cake and crispy chicken thighs…

But back to the leek bread pudding. It’s from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, a book which continues to be one of my top 5 favorite cookbooks. It's pretty simple to put together and tastes as good if not better leftover. We had it with grilled steaks, but it'd go well with ham, lamb or even pork. My adaptation is below - the original called for whole milk. I didn't miss the extra fat...



Leek Bread Pudding
adapted from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices leeks (white and light green parts only)
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups 1-inch cubes crustless Brioche or Pullman sandwich loaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 large eggs
3 cups reduced fat milk
3 cups heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded Comté or Emmentaler




Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the leek rounds in a large bowl of tepid water and swish so that any dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl. Set a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, lift the leeks from the water, drain, and add them to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. As the leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to medium-low. The leeks will release liquid. Stir in the butter to emulsify, and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a parchment lid, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leeks are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. If at any point the butter breaks or looks oily, stir in about a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Meanwhile, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until dry and pale gold. Transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.
Add the leeks to the bread and toss well, then add the chives and thyme.

Lightly whisk the eggs in another large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread half the leeks and croutons in the pan and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Scatter the remaining leeks and croutons over and top with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently on the bread so it soaks in the milk. Let soak for about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining custard, allowing some of the soaked cubes of bread to protrude. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pudding feels set and the top is brown and bubbling.

Fried Olive Bread

Greek food always takes me back to Santorini, Crete and our honeymoon. In the summer, I love to have Greek yogurt with honey for breakfast - I sit out on the deck, and while the view is nothing like that on the Caldera, I get a reminder of the beauty of those islands. The weather's not ready for that yet, so I made 4 Greek dishes for dinner on Sunday. This recipe is the first of them. Check back over the next week for the rest of the meal, and then give them a try at home for your own little Greek getaway.

This was the last piece of the meal I chose. I NEVER make bread. Ladyberd confession: yeast is my nemesis. Perhaps because my mom never made bread, perhaps because I've never really tried, or (my favorite excuse) it's just too cold in my kitchen for the dough to rise properly. (I'm sure that's it - it couldn't be something I'm doing!)

But as I flipped through my Greek cooking bible: Vefa's Kitchen, I stumbled across a picture of Fried Olive Bread from Cyprus. Little pieces of bread stuffed with Kalamata olives. Yes, please! As I watched my dough, I was a little nervous about how they'd turn out, but they were great - they cook up quickly and rapid rise yeast made it a quick and painless process. The measurements below are half the original. It made about 12 pieces - enough for 4 people with a meal or two if you're serving it as an appetizer.

And an extra-yummy hint: dip them in a little tzatziki. Mmmmmm.



Fried Olive Bread from Cyprus
adapted from Vefa's Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Olive oil, plus more for frying
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

Sift the flour into a bowl, then stir in the yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour in the honey, oil and water. Incorporate the dry ingredients and knead to a soft pliable dough, adding more flour if necessary (I didn't add anymore).

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour until doubled in volume. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the olives over it, leaving a bit or a border around the outside. Roll up tightly.

Using a floured knife, cut the roll crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Flatten each piece with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Let rise about 15 minutes.



Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet or frying pan with olive oil (you want a thick coating, but not too deep). Heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add the bread slices and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. (You can also bake them for about 15 minutes at 350F - I fried them, so not sure how the result would differ). Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.

Tapas for two: a taste of Spain at home

I'm a Food Network junkie. I admit it. I love those shows - some of them at least. My new favorite is Chef Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. I first became familiar with Burrell in her role a sous chef to Mario Batali on Iron Chef America. On Secrets, she makes a wide range of restaurant dishes at home. Her energy is great and the flavors are phenomenal - and things anyone can try at home. I caught an episode on tapas a few weeks ago and as I watched, I knew I had to make this meal.


My husband and I went to Spain last year and more recently to Mario Batali's Casa Mono (twice). So we have tapas-fever. As I watched Chef Burrell make Eggs Flamenco, Catalan Toasts and Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, I was whisked away to Barcelona. The ingredients and recipes are easy and the flavors big and bold. I've put the recipe for the eggs below as well as the method for the bread, and you can find the recipe for the shrimp on the FN website. (note, I added some smoked hot paprika to mine for added flavor and color).

Last Saturday, I decided to turn our home into Spain. As Jeff worked in the yard, I turned the kitchen into tapas-central. To make this meal, start the sauce for the eggs first. As it simmers, prep the shrimp and set the table. Then, while the eggs are in the oven, grill the bread and cook the shrimp. Perfect-o!

And who heard of Tapas without Spanish wine??? We had some 2006 Quiteria Loma Gorda - this is a Spanish Granache Syrah that we got a the Wine Library and I've bought it repeatedly. (At $11.98 a bottle, why not??) Or try your favorite Rioja or a glass of cool sangria!




Eggs Flamenco
Recipes from Chef Anne Burrell, on Foodnetwork.com

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• Kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) diced Spanish chorizo
• 1 teaspoon pimenton
• 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped with their juice or passed through a food mill
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup finely grated aged manchego
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions
Special Equipment: 4 (6-inch wide) flat ovenproof dishes such as terra cotta cazuelas

Coat a saucepan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium heat. Season the onions with salt and sweat for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are soft and very aromatic. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the chorizo and pimenton and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Oil the cazuelas. Fill each dish about halfway with the tomato sauce. Break 2 eggs into each dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place the cazuelas into the preheated oven and bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 8 minutes.
When the eggs are done, sprinkle with chives and serve.

Catalan Toasts

• 1 ripe tomato
• 6 thick, bias cut, slices baguette
• 2 garlic cloves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
• Kosher salt
• 6 slices serrano ham (you can sub prosciutto if you can't get Serrano).

Directions
Preheat the grill to medium.
Cut the tomato in half and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater. Reserve the tomato pulp.
Grill the bread slices on both sides until they are slightly charred. When the bread comes off the grill rub each slice with a garlic clove and drizzle generously with olive oil. Top each toast with tomato pulp and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Cover tomato with a slice of ham and serve.

Survey Says...

October's poll featured foods starring pumpkin. There was a tie between pumpkin cranberry walnut bread and pumpkin ravioli, so it looks like I have my work cut out for me. We had guests this weekend so I made the bread last week. One left disappeared pretty quickly at my office and the second was enjoyed by our Canadian visitors (with a chunk to Dad of course). We'll have to wait and see when I have time to make the ravioli so watch for more.

Get the recipe on epi.

This month's poll features some new cookie recipes, in plenty of time for Christmas baking! So take a sec and vote for your favorite! I'll bake the winner in December along with some of my favorite Christmas cookies!