Bread Pudding

While we were away last week, I had the most amazing piece of bread pudding. I usually do not like bread pudding. I had a small bite from Bob's plate and had to have my own. I didn't even know until after I had it that the dessert was bread pudding, that's how good it was. It just melted on your tongue and the spices used just exploded in your mouth.

Since I couldn't get the recipe off the chef, I figured I would find a recipe from one of my old cookbooks and give it a try. This recipe came from a cookbook printed by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, Inc. I've had this book forever and have often used it when I feel like making a little Southern dish.  Enjoy this recipe. The bread pudding is like a warm sticky bun drenched in butter and bourbon.

Ingredients: 3 TBSP butter, softened, 1.25 pounds of French or Italian bread*, 1 c raisins, 3 large eggs, 4 c whole milk, 2 c sugar, 2 TBSP vanilla, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, Whiskey sauce

Instructions: (1) Spread softened butter over a glass 13x9-inch baking pan/dish. (2) Cut bread into .5 inch-thick slices. Arrange slices almost upright in tightly spaced rows in dish. (3) Tuck raisins between the slices of bread. (4) Whisk until frothy the eggs. Add in milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and continue to whisk until incorporated. (5) Pour liquid over bread and let stand for 1 hour, pressing down the bread with a spatula to wet the top slices every now and then. (6)Preheat oven to 375F. Bake pudding until the top is puffed and lightly browned, approximately 1 hour. Cover with whiskey sauce and let cool on a rack for 30-60 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

*About 1.5-2 loafs of bread are used. You can try 1% or Fat Free milk if you want to lower some of the calories for this dessert.
*Whiskey Sauce. You need to heat in a saucepan, over low heat, 8 TBSP butter. Stir in 1 c sugar, 1/4 c bourbon or other whiskey, 2 TBSP water, 1/4 fresh grated or ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is blended. Remove from heat.  Whisk one large egg in a bowl until light and frothy and then vigorously whisk the egg into the liquor mixture. Set sauce over medium heat and, stirring gently, bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 1 min. Serve at once, set aside at room temperature for up to 8 hours, or let cool then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat, stirring. If sauce separates, remove from the heat and whisk in a little warm water.
*If you want a milder Whiskey sauce, replace up to 1/2 of the whiskey with water. For a stronger sauce, replace the water with additional whiskey.
*Whatever you do, if you are transporting this dish by car try to put it in a Tupperware container. If you are pulled over, the cop might think you have been drinking. Just ask my friend Gwen.

Chai-Pistachio Muffins

I love tea; any flavor, blend, color, loose or bagged. I especially love Chai tea. I came across a recipe for a Chai cupcake and tried it last summer. I absolutely loved it. When I spied this muffin recipe, I had to try it. This recipe comes from the May 2011 edition of Cooking Light. I found that I substituted some things when I made this recipe the first time and I used a chai concentrate blend instead of opening up some tea bags. The muffins were delicious so I figured I post the original recipe for you to try.

Family Secrets Bakery will be closed from Feb. 17 until Feb. 26 so if you place an online order, it won't be processed until Feb. 27, the earliest. It also means there won't be any postings of recipes later this week or the next. Maybe I'll come back from Honduras with some new ideas or recipes to pass along to you.  Enjoy this recipe, I sure did.

Ingredients: 1.75 c flour, .5 c brown sugar (packed), 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 chai blend* tea bags, opened, 1 c buttermilk, 1/4 c butter, melted, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, 1 large egg, lightly beaten, cooking spray, 1/3 c shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped, 1/2 c powdered sugar, 1 TBSP water

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 375 and prepare a 12-c muffin pan with liners or with cooking spray. If using liners, spray the liners with cooking spray. (2) Spoon flour into measuring cups and level with knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add tea to flour mixture and stir well. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. (3) Combine buttermilk, butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. (4) Divide batter evenly among prepared muffing cups. Sprinkle with nuts evenly over batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack. (5) Combine remaining .5 tsp vanilla, powdered sugar, and 1 TBSP water in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle evenly over muffins.

*Twinings and Tazo have a nice Chai tea and can be purchased in most supermarkets. I like to get a loose-leaf chai from a local tea shop along with other loose-leaf teas.

Chocolate Tiramisu

My husband loves chocolate and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I figured I would make a nice dinner and dessert to celebrate. Last year I made a chocolate souffle recipe and chocolate covered strawberries. While going through the stacks of recipes I've ripped out of magazines or scribbled down on a piece of paper to try at a later date and time, I found a recipe from the May 2011 Bon Appetite edition. Most of the recipes I have in this stack are dinner or appetizer recipes. This one had two things that my husband likes: coffee and chocolate.  I figured I would try a different take on a tiramisu recipe.

A friend of ours father has a nice Italian restaurant located in Hull, MA called Mezzo Mare and also owns the place right next door called Beach Food Market. The market has the best subs and pizza. You can also find imported goods from Italy at the market. We get our ladyfingers here anytime we make a dessert that calls for ladyfingers. 

This recipes makes a serving for 8 and doesn't really take all that much time to make. I'm halving the recipe since Bob will be the only person eating it. The recipe listed below is the full recipe. Enjoy.

Ingredients: (espresso syrup) 1.5 c espresso or strong coffee, .25 c sugar (tiramisu) 1.75 c mascarpone cheese, 2 TBSP + .5 c sugar, .25 tsp vanilla extract, .5 tsp unflavored gelatin, 4 large egg yolks, 1 c chilled heavy whipping cream, 6 oz bittersweet chocolate*, 48 ladyfingers

Instructions: (1) Stir coffee and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved, set aside. (2) Combine 1 c of mascarpone cheese, 2 TBSP sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk until blended; cover and chill. (3) Place 1 TBSP water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it; let stand until gelatin softens, 10-15 minutes. (4) Whisk remaining sugar, yolks, 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup water in a medium metal bowl to blend. Place bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water (don't let bottom of bowl touch water) and whisk constantly until custard thickens and temperatures reaches 160 on an instant read thermometer, 3-4 minutes. Remove bowl; add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved. Return bowl over water and add chocolate and whisk until almost melted. Set aside in a large bowl of ice water and whisk until chocolate is melted and custard is cool, 5-6 minutes. (5) Whisk in the remaining mascarpone. In another medium bowl, beat remaining 3/4 c of chilled cream until firm peaks form. Fold cream into custard in 2 additions to make a chocolate mousse. (6) Spread 1/4 c chocolate mousse in bottom of each eight 1-c ramekins. Dunk ladyfingers in the espresso syrup and arrange in a single layer on top of the mousse. Repeat layering with chocolate mousse and soaked ladyfingers. Spread 2 TBSP mascarpone topping over ladyfingers. Garnish with chocolate shavings and serve.

*Don't exceed 61% cacao. Chop chocolate and save some for shavings for garnish.

*Chocolate Tiramisu recipe by Kriss Harvey. Published in the May 2011 edition of Bon Appetite.

Mayan Muffins

Mesoamerica, equatorial South and Central America, has a rich history regarding chocolate. The cacao pod has bitter seeds covered in a sweet pulp. These seeds were used as a form of currency, as a divine gift, a health food and a source of power. The Mayans took the seeds and ground them into a coarse powder that they then mixed with water, spices, and chilies to make a bitter drink. They also added the powder to corn and other fillings to make porridge-like meals. It would be several thousand years before chocolate would be what we know it as today.

Several years ago, I had a chance to travel to Belize and Guatemala on a research trip. While in Guatemala, we visited Tikal National Park and had a chance to see  Stelas and panels and was designated to El Ka'Kau' (the chocolate king). My mother-in-law and a friend of mine are chocolate lovers. These muffins are for them and for any other chocolate-lovers. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 1/3 c butter, 4 oz bittersweet chocolate*, 2 c flour, 1/3 c cocoa*, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, .5 tsp baking soda, .5 sea salt, .25 tsp cayenne pepper, 2/3 c sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, .5 tsp pure almond extract, 1.25 c buttermilk

Instructions:(1) Preheat oven to 375 and prep a 12-c or a 6-c muffin pan with liners or with cooking spray. (2) Melt butter and half of the chocolate over a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool. (3) Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, and cayenne in a large bowl. (4) In a small bowl, whisk chocolate mixture, sugar, egg, and extracts until blended. (5) Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in remaining chocolate. Divide batter evenly amongst prepared muffin cups. (7) Bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.

*Don't chop the chocolate too fine. You want big, melty chunks in the muffins. Sometimes I'll use chocolate chunks or chocolate chips; depends on what is in the pantry when I'm making these.
*Cocoa powder should be unsweetened and NOT Dutch processed. You want the bitter flavor in these muffins.
*I usually add a little more cayenne than what is listed above just because I like the heat.

Roasted Banana Coconut Muffins

 

Here in New England when it gets cold, it usually gets really cold and snows. This winter we really haven't had really cold temperatures nor a lot of snow. I'm not complaining but still it doesn't quite feel like winter. Usually when I'm bummed because of the winter weather, I dream of warm, Tropical places. This year, I actually get to go some place warm while it is cold here in New England. As the date approaches for me to head to Honduras, I'm thinking about all things tropical: warm, blue water, warm, sunny skies, tons of fresh fruit and coconuts. Since I can't get the thought of coconuts and fruit out of my mind, I figured I would make a muffin that contains two things that are ubiquitous ingredients in Honduras, banana and coconut.

These muffins are a lot like the coconut banana bread we make for the Farmer's markets during the summer. They are filled with tropical flavors, topped with coconut shavings, and bring a smile even during a dreary winter. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 2 ripe bananas*, 2 c flour, 2 tsp baking powder, .75 sea salt, .5 baking soda, 2/3 c brown sugar, 2 eggs*, .5 c coconut milk, 1 tsp pure vanilla, 1 tsp pure coconut extract, 1 c coconut shavings

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 350 and prep a 12-c or 6-c muffin pan with paper liners or cooking spray. (2) Place bananas on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes until skins are black and seeping. Remove from oven and let cool. (3) Whisk flour, baking powder, sea salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. (4) In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, eggs, coconut milk, butter and extracts until well-blended. Squeeze bananas out of their skins and whisk into egg mixture. (5) Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended. Divide batter equally into muffin cups. Sprinkle with coconut and gently press into batter. (6) Bake for 22-27 minutes or until tops are golden and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack until cool.

*Use large bananas; keep the skins on for roasting. Roasting brings out a deeper banana flavor and adds hints of caramel.
*Use room temperature eggs and make sure the coconut milk is well-stirred.  I usually use Thai Kitchen pure coconut milk in any recipe that calls for coconut milk.
*We get our coconut from Nuts.com (formerly known as nuts on line). The coconut is awesome and the shavings are huge. You can also use sweetened flaked/shredded coconut like Bakers.

Blue Cheese Walnut Muffins

One of my favorite salads has field greens (usually spring mix or baby romaine lettuce), pears or green apples, dried cranberries, red onions and walnuts and a nice balsamic dressing. When Bob and I were in Newport, RI on our anniversary weekend, we found this awesome little shoppe called Virgin and Aged. This store has olive oils, specialty oils, and vinegars that you can taste before buying. We were with a group of people and as soon as we saw the place, Bob and I headed into the store to see what they offered. Of course the others with us laughed knowing we were such foodies and couldn't pass up this kind of store.  The options were endless and seeing things like Dark Chocolate Balsamic vinegar or Coconut White Balsamic vinegar had our minds spinning on what we could make and use an oil or vinegar with. We walked out with only 2 bottles, a Cranberry Pear White balsamic and a Fig Balsamic vinegar. I had the above mentioned salad every day for lunch and paired it with the Cranberry Pear vinegar or sometimes the Fig vinegar. The salad was delicious. We even grilled steaks one night, caramelized onions, used the fig vinegar to add to the onions and made a reduction sauce, topped the steak with the onion/fig concoction and added a little blue cheese to it. Our plates were so clean you could have put them back in the cabinet. Bob and I are planning another trip to Newport just to pick up some more vinegar.

All that to say, that these muffins are a baked version of the salad I like to fix sometimes. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 2 c flour, 2 tsp baking powder, .25 tsp sea salt, 1 c sugar, 1 egg, .75 c milk, .33 c butter (melted), .25 hot sauce, 1 c crumbled blue cheese, .75 c finely chopped walnuts, .25 c dried cranberries

Instructions: (1) Preheat oven to 400 and prepare either a 12-c or a 6-c muffin pan with liners or cooking spray. (2) Whisk flour, baking powder, and sea salt, in a large bowl. (3) In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, egg, milk, butter and hot sauce until well blended. (4) Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in the blue cheese, walnuts, and cranberries. (5) Divide batter evenly amongst muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan then cool complete on a wire rack.

*I usually add a little crumbled blue cheese to the top of each muffin before baking and serve the muffins while they are still warm.

MG muffins

What's not to like about carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins? These muffins are like a carrot cake we make, minus the raisins. They are full of fruit and nuts and are healthy and delicious. These muffins are great to grab and take on the way out the door in the morning, hence why they are called Morning Glory muffins. You can find a number of recipes for Morning Glory muffins. This is a recipe we also offer as Gluten-free. Either way, this is one muffin that will start your day off in the right direction.

The best taste for these muffins is to make sure you grate the carrots using a large holed grater. We use our microplane tool for grating the carrots. A large box grater works also but I am always leery of grating more than just the carrots when I use it. One of these days I'll get another grater attachment for my processor but until then, the microplane it is. By using a larger grate, the carrots keep their texture and therefore the muffin isn't like a fine cake.  Another tip when making these muffins is to drain and pat dry the pineapple so there isn't excess juice. If there is excessive juice, the muffins can be somewhat gummy. When we make our Tropical Carrot Cake, we don't pat dry the pineapple so the carrot comes out very moist.

Enjoy this morning muffin recipe. Tomorrow, I'm going to try a Blue Cheese Walnut dinner recipe.

Ingredients: 1.5c flour, .75 c whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon*, .5 tsp sea salt, 1.25 c sugar, 3 eggs, .5 c butter (melted), 1 tsp pure vanilla, 2 c shredded carrots, 8oz. can crushed pineapple, 2/3 c shredded coconut*, .5 c raisins, .5 c chopped walnuts

Instructions: (1) Preheat to 375 and prepare a 12-c or a 6-c muffin pan with liners or with cooking spray. (2) Whisk flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl. (3) In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla until well blended. (4) Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins, and walnuts. (5) Divide batter evenly amongst muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool in pan for a few minutes then on a wire rack.

*I use a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon because I can't get enough cinnamon.
*Sweetened flaked coconut can work but I've found that unsweetened coconut is better. We get some of our nut products and dried fruit products from Nuts Online. This company is a family-run company that has been in business since 1929 in Newark, NJ. They sell over 250 organic products and I absolutely love their coconut.