Bread Pudding 101

Minimum effort with maximum results... that's exactly what this bread pudding is all about.

While bread pudding started as a frugal dish which was a good way to use up stale bread, this has evolved into a pretty deluxe dessert - this version (which I have adapted from Gary Rhodes, New British Classics) is almost creme brulee like in texture and a decadent end to a winter meal.

The recipe also reheats well, if you are lucky to have leftovers, 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave will do the trick!

1 Loaf Brioche, cut into about 18 slices and crust removed
6 yolks
175 g caster sugar
300 ml cream
250 ml milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
80g salted butter - soft
25g sultanas
4 pieces pitted dates, sliced

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Mix the milk, cream and vanilla bean in a pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Pour a fourth of the scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk. Pour the rest of the mixture on to the egg yolk mixture and whisk continuously. strain through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, butter the brioche slices and cover the bottom of an over proof dish (I used a 9 inch round cake dish) with a third of the bread. Sprinkle half of the sultanas and half of the pitted dates. Add another third of the brioche and then top again with the rest of the sultanas and dates. Finally, top with the rest of the buttered brioche.

Pour half of the custard mixture and let rest for 30 minutes. Then pour the rest of the custard mixture and let soak for at least 1 hour. When ready to use, pre-heat your oven to 130c and bake the pudding in a bain marie for 45 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with more caster sugar and torch to caramelize the top.

Serve with vanilla ice cream while the pudding is still warm.


P.S. Special thank you to Lita, one of the BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS in the PHILIPPINES for the photo and photo tips!

Chocolate Canneles and the World of Warcraft Widow

No need to send me your condolences - and you won't see me dressed in black but I am a widow nonetheless - my husband left this world to join another one - that is, the World of Warcraft. If you have ever been in a relationship with someone who plays video or computer games, you know what I am talking about, if not, then lucky for you.

World of Warcraft, commonly referred to as "WOW" is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game - there are over 11 million players worldwide, and the number is growing. Also increasing are the widows left behind by these "gamers". Some widows will join support groups (gamerwidow.com) but a vast majority like me will be left to grieve on their own.

There are five stages of grief that one generally goes through before you come to realize that life DOES goes on after World of Warcraft.


1. Denial - can this really be happening to me? How can hubby prefer spending hours infront of the computer with "Zeeb" or "Titus"? It can't be humanly possible to spend eight hours playing a computer game?

2. Anger - how dare hubby prefer "raiding" over spending time with me?? You can spend eight hours playing a computer game but no time to take out the trash?!?

3. Bargaining - Okay, you can play eight hours of computer games if you promise to take me out to dinner after.

4. Depression/Guilt - I can't believe you are making me look like the bad guy by asking you to stop playing eight hours of computer games to spend time with me! and the last stage is acceptance.


It's a strange feeling when you come to accept that you probably come second place to "Zeeb" or "Titus" (just some of my husband's WOW buddies), part relief, part sadness but mainly a strong urge to eat chocolate.

Which is why I whipped up a batch of Chocolate Canneles. One because they are very tasty and two because they remind me so much of tombstones. So what better way to say goodbye than with a Chocolate Cannele! :)

A cannele is a French pastry with a crispy, caramel like exterior and a custardy center.



They are a speciality of Southwest France and some claim very difficult to make.

The recipe I have is from Francois Payard's Chocolate Epiphany. It's actually very simple to make and tastes fantastic. The only thing is that it needs to rest overnight before baking.

Ingredients
100 grams 72% chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk
60 grams unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split
90 grams all purpose flour
14 grams Dutch processed cocoa powder
180 grams sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons dark rum

Make the batter - Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Put the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan. Scald the mixture, removing the pan from the heat when small bubbles form at the edges. Pour the mixture over the chocolate, and whisk until the chocolate is melted.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt over a medium bowl. Combine the egg, egg yolks and rum and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. If you go too fast, lumps will form. Slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture whisking until the chocolate is smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to four days.

Bake the canneles - Pre-heat over to 200c. If using silicone molds, arrange them on a baking sheet. Stir the batter and transfer to a large measuring cup or to another pitcher if desired which will make it easier to pour the batter into the molds.

Fill the batter into the molds and let them rest for 30 minutes. This will allow the flour to settle at the bottom, so the canneles won't rise during baking.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until the exterior is crisp and set.

Remove molds from the over and turn on a wire cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container.

Milano Cookies

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.




Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Deluxe Brownies

If there had to be one recipe in everyone's repertoire, I would say it would have to be the humble brownie. It's a dessert that is sure to please both young and old. Here is my version which has been tested by myself and my two other sisters. You are all very lucky that I can share it with you. My sister was initially reluctant to part with this top secret family recipe but I managed to get her approval to post it. It meets all the qualities I look for in a deluxe brownie.

1. It's easy to make - start to finish takes me less than 1 hour.
2. It has the consistency of a molten chocolate cake - we slightly underbake the cake so that the centre is slightly wobbly. You are normally supposed to let the brownie rest until cool before cutting but once I couldn't wait and was pleasantly surprised to see the slice I got collapsing as the chocolate centre started oozing out.



3. It's loaded with nuts - we used three different nuts to make these brownies so you've got added texture to the end product and I find that the nuts somehow cut into the sweetness of the brownies - my particular favorite was pistachio!


4. It's flexible - if you don't like nuts, remove it, you can use dried fruit instead (I love it with dried cranberries and pistachios). If you want a pure chocolate indulgent dessert, leave out the nuts. If you want a pick me up, add a bit of esspresso (I find that 2 tablespoons is enough for this recipe). Go crazy!!


Recipe
230 grams butter, melted
20 grams butter, melted for greasing the brownie pan
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped into pieces
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups nuts (we used pistachio, macadamia and pecan)

Preheat oven to 180C.

Melt butter and remove from the heat. In a bowl, add the melted butter to the sugar. Add the whisked eggs then the dark chocolate. Add the flour and cocoa powder and gently mix.



Finally, add the nuts.

Pour the brownie mixture into a buttered pan that measures 20cm by 20cm.

Bake in the over for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Ensaimada: Philippines scores 1 over France! and Spain!

The ensaimada has its origins from Mallorca, Spain's largest island. This version is rolled into a tube and then coiled into a spiral shape. The Mallorcans take their ensaimadas seriously. There is even a regulatory council and a sampling committee that ensure that the "Ensaimada de Mallorca" meet certain controls and guidelines.

While the brioche has its origins in Rome, the French have perfected the art of this rich roll. The core ingredients of a brioche are flour, eggs, butter, milk, sugar, and yeast. When done properly, a brioche is light, buttery and really more a pastry than a bread.

The Philippine Ensaimada got its origins from the Spanish but has similarities as well to the brioche.

But I have my own version of how the Philippine Ensaimada began. I like to think three bakers, a Frenchman, Spaniard and Filipino were sitting around one day and decided to have a bread baking contest.

The Spaniard went first and his version was made with flour, water, sugar, eggs, pork lard and yeast. The Frenchman, not wanting to be outdone, decided to enrich the roll and replaced the water with some milk and the pork lard with butter. The Filipino baker went even further. He used the Frenchman's dough and added some cheese before rolling it like a jelly roll and then into a spiral shape before baking. After baking, the baker topped the resulting roll with butter, sugar and even more cheese!
Guess who won?!?!

Daring Cooks July Challenge... Skate, Traditional Flavours Powdered with changes... phew!

July's Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Sketchy and was called Skate, traditional flavors...

Skate, Traditional Flavours Powdered - with changes

• 4 skate wings
• * Beurre monte
• * 300g fresh green beans
• sea salt/kosher salt
• 454g butter - 4 sticks
• 300g lemons
• 5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet
• 150g cilantro
• 150g parsley
• 100g dried banana chips
• 300g powdered milk
• 100g cup minced red onion
• 200g capers (brined, not oil)

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 90C. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Powders - prepare ahead of time
caper / onion
lemon powder
cilantro/parsley powder
'brown butter' powder

Powders
once dried, all powders should be pulsed in a coffee grinder/spice mill/morter and pestle then passed through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

Citrus powder
300g lemons
1000g simple syrup (boil equal parts water and sugar until dissolved)
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet

Zest 300g of lemons (10.6 oz), remove the pith from the zest and poach in the simple syrup three times. dry with paper towels and move to the oven. 70C for 2 hours. pulse the zest in a coffee grinder, and mix with citric acid/vitamin C powder.

Cilantro/parsley powder
150g cilantro
150g parsley

Blanch the parsley in boiling saltwater for 1 second, submerge the leaves in ice water for 3 minutes. Dry on paper towels and place in oven. 70C for 2 hours. Grind.

onion powder
100g cup minced red onions

Place in oven for 2 hours at 70C. Grind.

Caper powder
200g capers (get the ones packed in brine/vinegar)

Run the capers under cold water for two minutes to remove some of the brine.
Dry on paper towels and place in oven for 2 hours at 70C.

Brown Butter powder

100g Dried banana chips (unsweetened if possible - many are coated in honey - the freeze dried ones would be brilliant)
300g powdered milk

Grind the banana chips in a coffee grinder and mix with the toasted milk powder. Heat the powdered milk with the ground dried banana in a pan. Be cautious and make sure it does not burn.

Dinner at Lucio's... almost

The Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia offers cooking lessons on a regular basis. The classes are held at Casa Barilla in Annandale and many of them are hands on. I've been fortunate enough to attend a number of classes, these are conducted by the who's who of Australia's Italian cooking world.

Attending a class is almost as good as eating in anyone of the restaurants from where the chefs are associated with.

The first lesson I attended was a hands on class with James Kidman from Otto Restaurant where we learned the secrets to making a great rissotto. The second class I went to was taught by Armando Percuoco from Buon Ricordo. Signore Percuoco is one of the most amiable and down to earth people I have ever met. His class was entitled Cucina Povera (Peasant Cooking or humble food) where he shared pragmatic yet very delicious recipes.

Two weekends ago I managed to drag my husband to CIRA once again for a class with Logan Campell, head chef at Lucio's in Paddington. My husband had never cooked a meal in his LIFE prior to the class so it was interesting to see how he would react to this whole new experience. I am happy to report that he LOVED it! Absolutely loved the experience.

The class was entitled "Logan's Ligurian Experience". The hands on class featured two dishes, Eggplant Ravioli and a Rolled Spatchcock. Both were amazingly easy to prepare (yes, even deboning the spatchcock) and can be recreated at home.

I've written down the eggplant ravioli recipe and hope you'll enjoy it!

Pasta Ingredients
300 grams plain flour
3 large eggs
pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients (you will probably have leftover filling depending on how you fill your pasta)
1 large eggplant, diced
1/2 bunch picked thyme
100 grams diced taleggio cheese (I used Mauri Taleggio)
50 grams parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 bunch chopped parsley
salt and pepper

To Serve
125 grams butter
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
A few sprigs of parsley

Pasta
Pour flour onto benchtop and make a well in the centre.
Place the salt and add the eggs into the well and incorporate until the dough forms
Knead for 5 minutes and rest covered for 1 hour

Filling
Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let stand 20 minutes
Rinse off the salt and drain
Saute the eggplant in a little olive oil, add thyme and cook until eggplant is browned
Allow to cool and then mix the eggplant with the cheeses, egg and parsley
Season with salt and pepper



Ravioli
Using a pasta machine roll out the dough until a thin sheet is formed. Brush with egg wash and place some the ravioli mix along the sheet 3 centimeters apart.


Roll another sheet and place on top of the first, pressing down around the mix to remove any air pockets.


Using cutters, cut the ravioli out removing excess dough around each one.


Place on a floured tray and cover.
Brint a pot of water to the boil.
Melkt the butter in a large frying pan
Blanch ravioli for 3 minutes
Drain
When butter is brown and foaming, add the pasta, balsamic vinegar and walnuts.
Garnish with chopped parsley
Toss and serve.


That's not the end of it!

This weekend I invited a few guests to try out the pasta... here are a few shots of my version of the eggplant ravioli.