A chef never knows where inspiration will strike.  Perhaps it was last weekend's Kentucky Derby with it's Bourbon-laced cocktails, or perhaps it was from my Whiskey guzzling loving friend Claire.  Whatever it was, I was inspired to test a recipe for my own brunch that could double for a Mother's Day surprise ending to a celebratory meal.  The creation:  Bourbon and Pecan Bread Pudding topped with home-made Bourbon Ice Cream.  

There's something particularly pleasing about this dish.  First, it's INCREDIBLY easy to make.  Secondly, I love that it repurposes stale bread:  waste not, want not, right? Third, this bread pudding is just incredibly comforting.  The warm, soft, and moist bread pudding gets crunchy on the sides and also the top thanks to a pecan crumble that bakes right on top.  

You combine that hot, crunchy-edged bread pudding with the cool and smooth ice cream on top, and you get the juxtaposition of flavors and textures that are not normally created so easily.   The ice cream starts to melt a little, forming a sauce that runs into the dessert and down the sides.  The ratio of bread-to-custard, plus the butter that melts in from the top, plus that slightly melted ice cream, keeps this bread pudding moist, even without baking in a water bath.  Bottom Line:  You need to make this recipe soon!!

So make this for your mom, or bookmark this recipe for Father's Day in 4 weeks.  Or make it just because you want to treat yourself with one of the best desserts you've had in a while.  Either way, get baking!

Because the ice cream must first be chilled, then churned, then frozen before serving, I recommend making the ice cream the day before you make the bread pudding. The day you make the ice cream, you can cube up your bread and let it sit in a bowl, uncovered, to get stale overnight.

Day 1:  Bourbon Ice Cream 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C Half and Half

• 1 C Heavy Cream
• ½ C Milk, (whole or 2%)
• 1/3 C Packed brown sugar
• 1/3 C granulated white sugar
• 6 large egg yolks

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Maldon sea salt)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup bourbon

Directions:

1.  Make Custard:  In a double boiler, combine the cream, half-and-half, milk, and salt.  While mixture heats up, prepare your eggs.  

2. Prepare the Eggs: In a mixing bowl, separate egg yolks from eggs.  Next, beat the egg yolks and sugars together until well combined and slightly frothy.  Set aside.

3.  Check the milk:  You want the heated milk to have small bubbles around the edges and to begin to steam lightly.  It should not be boiling. 

4.  Temper the eggs:  Turn your mixer on.  Take 1/3 cup of the hot milk mixture and slowly pour into the egg mixture.  While mixer is still one, slowly pour another 1/3 Cup of milk-mixture into the eggs.  Finally, add one more 1/3 Cup of the milk-mixture into the eggs.   If you've tempered eggs before, you can do this with a whisk.  Just be sure to whisk quickly so that eggs are whipped into the milk mixture.

 By doing this you have raised the temperature of the eggs so that when they are added into the milk mixture on the double boiler, the eggs won’t curdle.  Two additional steps (creaming eggs and sugar together, and using the double boiler) will help ensure you don’t cook/scramble your eggs while you are cooking the custard.

5.  Cook Custard:  Continuously stir/whisk the custard for 6 minutes over medium heat, or until the custard has reached between 165-170 degrees.  You can also do the spoon test, which means that mixture has gotten so thick that it will coat the back of a spoon, and when you draw a line on the back of the spoon, through the custard, the line remains.

6. Strain the Custard:  Grab a clean bowl and a strainer.  Pour the hot custard through the strainer to catch any eggs that may have cooked/curdled in the custard. 

 7.  Add flavorings: Turn off heat.  Add vanilla and bourbon into the strained custard.

 8. Chill Custard:  Pour custard into a large bowl. Chill custard for 1 hour, then cover with a lid or plastic wrap.  Chill at least another 3 hours.  The longer the custard cools, the thicker the custard will be when frozen in your machine.    I chilled my batch over night.

 9.  Churn Ice Cream:  Churn your ice cream according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions.  Remember, after 20 minutes, the mixture will be completed, but it will be the consistency of a thick milkshake (or a Wendy’s Frosty).  Spoon the ice cream from machine into a freeze-safe container with a lid.

10.  Freeze:  Freeze the Ice Cream for at least 2 hours to ensure the ice cream is hard enough to scoop.

Day 2:  Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup of packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup of half-and-half
• 3 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 11 ounces of stale bread,  cubed.  

Topping:

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 ounces (or 1/3 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2  cup chopped pecans

Directions

The Night before:  cube bread and sit in a bowl overnight so that bread can get more stale.

1.  Preheat Oven:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Prepare Pan:  Prepare a casserole pan, I’m using a 10×2 pan.  (something small than a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan will be best)

3.  Make Custard: Mix sugars,  vanilla, eggs, half-and-half, milk, bourbon in a bowl. Add cubed bread to the custard and let sit for 15 minutes.  Then, pour into casserole dish.

4.  Make Topping:  Mix brown sugar, butter, and pecans together and sprinkle over the top of the bread pudding.

5. Bake:   Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the pudding has set and is firm in the middle. Remove from oven.  Note:  when you remove from oven, the bread pudding will have puffed up.  As the dish cools, the pudding will reduce in size (essentially, it flattens).

6.  Cool:  Let pudding cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Serve bread pudding as it, or top with Bourbon Ice Cream for an extra amazing flavor combination.

Yesterday I got into a pretty deep conversation about breakfast, if you can even imagine a conversation over breakfast being "deep".  The thing is, I looooove breakfast.  

Maybe it's because breakfast is the first meal after a sleep-induced fast, maybe it's because breakfast showcases one my favorite ingredients (bacon).  Either way, let it be know that I love breakfast.

The fact of the matter is that I can eat breakfast foods for any meal of the day.  Simple breakfasts like scrambled eggs and toast, or elaborate ones like polenta with poached eggs, and braised short ribs or bacon.  I just loooove breakfast foods. 

When I was a child, we didn't eat at restaurants all too often, especially for breakfast.  I have very special memories of growing up in the South with my mom making breakfast for us kids, especially her making pancakes in the shape of our first initials or making a special pot of grits to accompany cheese eggs and bacon. 

Just the other day, my heart was warmed by my sister making the same pancakes for my 5 year old niece, Morgan, continuing the tradition of special, comforting breakfasts.

And it really made me want pancakes (with bacon, of course!)

What about Hot "Cereals" for Breakfast?

Because breakfast is such a huge category of potential foods, I started in inquire with friends about their favorite breakfast starch.  In the conversation, I mentioned how as a child I loved savory grits with butter, cheese and bacon.  While my oatmeal preference vacillated between various instant oatmeal flavors, the favorite from childhood to today is Cheesy Grits with Bacon.

After my friends and I wiped our mouths from the salivation caused by memories of warm bacon and grits, my friends started to describe their favorite breakfast hot cereals, such as Cream of Wheat and Malt-o-Meal.  

In my entire life, I've never had Cream of Wheat or Malt-o-Meal.  The only time we ever ventured away from instant oatmeal or grits was one time–for the jazzy new Oatmeal Swirlers.  The idea was better than the taste.

I inquired on the Kiss My Bundt Facebook Page what were people's preferred hot breakfast "cereal"/starch, and just like I suspected, the southerners decreed "grits", while others (especially East Coasters/New Englanders) called out for Cream of Wheat and Malt-o-Meal.

What are Grits?

 Grits are coarsely ground corn, similar to Italian polenta.  Originated by Native Americans, it's become a quintessential Southern American tradition. Nearly 3/4 of all grits sold in the US are sold in the Southeastern United States, sometimes referred to as the "Grits Belt".  In fact, the State of Georgia (where I'm from) declared grits its "Official Prepared Food"!

Whether grits are served "sweet"  with butter and sugar, or "savory" with butter and salt, possibly with cheese,  the cooking preparation is the same where grits are cooked in water until they have reached a smooth, porridge-like consistency.   

After reading the facbook posts, and thinking of a big bowl of cheesy grits, there was only one thing to do:  make some!

Cheesy Grits Recipes:

Recipe makes 1 big bowl of Cheese Grits for 1 person!

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp instant grits.  (I used Albers Instant Grits since that's all you can readily find in mainstream Californian markets)
• 1 1/2 C water
• 2 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, chopped or shredded.
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 pieces of bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces.  (If you made it crispy, just crumble bacon)
• 1 tsp bacon grease *(optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Boil water:  Bring water to a boil.  Add salt.
2. Measure Grits:  Pre-measure instant grits and place in a small bowl or cup, set aside.
3. Add Grits, slowly: Once the water comes to a boil, slowly pour in the dry instant grits.  Stir a few times to make sure all grits are loose in water (and not in one big clump where you poured the dry grits into the pot).  Doing this means you won't get "clumps" in your grits.
4. Drop Heat and Cook: Once grits are stirred, drop to a low heat and cover your pot.  Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add in Goodies:  Cut heat off.  Add the butter, bacon grease, and cheddar cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.  Add 1/3 of the bacon and stir into the grits.
6. Devour!:  Pour grits into a bowl, top with remaining bacon.  Devour!

Voila!  Cheesy Grits!!   

     

Last quarter, for Winter-time, we focused our seasonal baking on Citruses.  This time, it's the beloved strawberry.

While we see strawberries in Los Angeles groceries stores year round (largely from Mexico and Latin America), we start getting amazing local strawberries in late April at the beginning of Summertime.

In fact, just 60 or so miles from our teaching kitchen is where you'll find the home of some amazing local Southern California Strawberries.

To celebrate the season, we're kicking off another Seasonal Baking Class, this time focused on Strawberries.

Can somebody stay Strawberry Ice Cream??

This class will be taught at the Surfas Los Angeles Test Kitchen, and students will arrive to refreshments and strawberry lemonade.  Once everyone is settled, they will break into teams to prepare the following menu:

Class Menu

Strawberry Shortcakes

Cream Scones and Strawberry Butter

Strawberry Lemonade Bundt 

Fresh Strawberries and Cream Layer Cake

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry Preserves/Jam

Class Info: 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

10am-1pm

at Surfas in Culver City. 

To learn more or to buy a ticket, click here:  http://strawberrybaking.eventbrite.com

·    

 photo kindly borrowed from TheDelicious

Back in January there was a meme that circulated called the “100 Foods You Need To Try”, which morphed into wines, beers, etc that you should try.

At the time, I completed the test.  I found it funny that while I’d had more “exotic” things on the list like foie gras, I’d never had something as deli-standard as a pastrami sandwich.

This past Saturday, in a sober-middle of the night food run, my friend and I stopped by a famous Pastrami shop located in Culver City, CA, called Johnny’s. 

At 1am, this place was jam-packed full of people, which is somewhat of a sign.

I decided to eat this behemoth at home.  That was the longest 2 miles I've ever driven.  The smell of meat permeated the car.  I had to hold back the drool.  Serious.

I'm sure those of you reading this don't need to hear about what Pastrami is like–I'm sure I'm the only one who's never had Pastrami.  But, for the chance there is another Pastrami Virgin out there like me, here ya go:  Pastrami was like a thinly sliced bacon…I mean, it’s beef, but it’s rich and unctuous.  Thinly sliced, fatty (in a GREAT way) delicious meat.  Complimented by a crusty french bread and a yellow mustard.  This was a good sandwich.  

Gladly, I was able to proudly remove one more "food" off of my list.  Now, I feel compelled to find the best Pastrami in LA.

After Pastrami, I’ve tried 81 of the 100 "Foods You Must Try".  And truth be told, my number may not get much higher because I think I draw the line at haggis.

Haggis is sheep's heart, liver and lungs

minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt

encased in the animal's stomach.

The list is below.  After you take the "test", what else should be on this list?  My votes include Pork Soup Dumplings, Coconut Cream Pie, Shrimp Po'Boy and Beignets  in New Orleans, and, of course Bundt Cake.   

What else do you think should be on the “Must east before you die” list?

Here’s the list:  What’s your number?  (The items in pink are the things I’ve eaten).  

The 100 Foods You Should Try:  http://www.listchallenges.com/100foods/

 

What do you get when you mix matzo, margarine or butter, brown sugar and dark chocolate? You get a delicious sweet that can be Vegan and Passover Friendly! 

When I learned to make this, my friend called this "Matzo Crack", because this sweet is incredible delicious.

First, you have the crunchy base layer of matzo (you can use saltines, but they don't have the crunch factor of matzo).  Then, on top of that you have the sweet layer of the toffee.  Next, you top with a layer of dark chocolate, the bitterness of which is mellowed out by the sweet toffee. 

Equipment:

• Cookie Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Knife

Ingredients

• 5 matzos
• 8 ounces (2 sticks or 1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 10 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or discs

Optional Toppings:  Choose 1 of these if you wish. 

Some consider nuts unacceptable for Passover, so make the Matzo nut-free unless you are certain.

• 1 cup of your choice:  chopped pecans, slivered almonds, ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

Directions

1.  Pre-heat:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.  Prepare:  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Line Sheet:  Cover baking sheet with matzos.  You’ll need to cut and piece the matzos to fill the entire pan.

4.  Make Toffee:  In a medium saucepan, combine butter or margarine (whatever you choose to use) and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until mixture comes to a boil.  At first it would seem like it’s separated, however, it will come together as you continue to whisk.  Cook until foamy and thickened, about 5 minutes.

5.  Spread Toffee: Pour toffee over matzos and, using a spatula, spread into an even layer.  You want to make sure that the matzos fully cover the baking sheet to make sure that the toffee is on the matzo and not the baking sheet.

6. Bake Matzo:  Bake toffee matzo for 10 minutes.  The Toffee will appear crackled and bubbling all over.

7.  Spread Chocolate:  Scatter chocolate chips/discs on top of the toffee matzo.  Set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the heat from the matzo to melt the chocolate.  Using a knife or an offset spatula, spread chocolate evenly over the matzo.

8.  Add Extra Toppings:  Within 3 minutes of spreading the chocolate, you can top the matzo with nuts, if you desire. 

9.  Set the Chocolate:  At room temperature, the chocolate will take about 2 hours to set.  You can also place toffee matzo in the fridge for 45 minutes so the chocolate sets. 

10.  Prepare to Gift:  

• Cutting up:  For precision, you can cut your matzos with a sharp knife.  Place the cooled Toffee Matzo (chocolate is firm), and place on a cutting board.  Slice up into squares. 
• Breaking up:  For a more rustic feel, break the Toffee Matzo into pieces.
• Serving in long pieces:  You can drop each piece of matzo into a cello bag, and let the recipients break up or devour as they see fit!

Our friend and publisher Amy Reiley, of Life of Reiley, just let us know that the Kiss My Bundt Cookbook just won TWO Royal Dragonfly Book Awards!

First Place:  Overall best cover

Second Place:  Food-related book

I remember back in 2009 when Amy of  Life of Reiley, an independent cookbook publishing house, approached me about possibly doing a cookbook with them.  I, of course, had many aspirations for myself and Kiss My Bundt Bakery, and a cookbook was one of them.  

I wasn't sure if the time was right for me, buy Amy believed in Bundt  and she believed that there was a niche and an interest in recipes from Kiss My Bundt.

Most of the bundt cookbooks out there are 40+ years old, strikingly family-focused, and almost all from the mid-west.  What I was doing with bundt was taking this family classic and reinventing it with a cosmopolitan "LA"-style that was modern and young, but still paid homage to the Bundt roots.

I agreed with Amy, we made a deal, and within 6 months we had a cookbook that was going to print.

Lo and behold, Amy was right.  The Kiss My Bundt Cookbook has gotten great reviews from media, bloggers, and home-bakers who love good bundt cake as much as I do.

But, beyond the accolades and the sales, what makes Kiss My Bundt so special to me is that is 100% me.  It's my voice, my or my family's recipes, and my story of how I went from a policy wonk and community planner to a baker.  

In the food industry, there can be a lot of disingenuousness.  I don't mean that in a negative way–I just mean that some of the most highly regarded "creative personalities" outsource their ideas, recipes, even their cookbooks.   [See this New York Times story about Being a Cookbook Ghostwriter.]

So, for me to be able to have a book with my stories, in my voice, with my recipes, and my message about chasing your dreams to win awards is humbling and grounding and exciting and very, very  special.

I'm just in awe and so excited for the incredible support and love that people are giving to this book, which came out almost 2 years ago (May 2010).  

One more piece of evidence that dreams can come true, people!!  

And, when someone believes in you, let them!   Dreams come a lot faster when you've got a cheerleaders. 

Do you have a cheerleader?  Are you cheerleading for someone else?

-C

Here in Los Angeles, we've had a very strange Winter.  

On Tuesday, we had a 58 degree day with cold and vigorous winds.  By Wednesday, the weather had jumped to low 70s, with slight humidity.  Today, we're experiencing 89 degree desert-like heats.  

On beautiful hot and sunny days like this, nothing cools you down like some homemade sorbet.  

Normally when I suggest that readers make their own ice cream or sorbet, the first thing I hear is that they don't have special equipment.

This sorbet recipe doesn't call for anything special except a pot, a freezer-appropriate bowl (like disposable Gladware), a strainer, sugar, fruit, water and a fork.  If you have these items, you can make a delicious sorbet.

Your Shopping List:

One Pint of Blackberries

One Meyer Lemon

Granulated White Sugar

Thyme (an aromatic herb.)

When it comes to sorbets, there are pretty much two ingredients:  fruit and simple syrup.  Once you decide on your fruit or simple syrup, you can pretty much make any sorbet flavor combination you'd like.

First, Make the Simple Syrup.

Simple syrup is essentially a water and sugar compound where sugar has been dissolved over heat.  Simple syrup is the secret to sweetening fresh lemonade, iced tea, and cocktails without having to use grainy cane sugar that doesn't dissolve well in cool liquids.

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 Cup of Granulated White Sugar
• 1 Cup of Water.
• 1 sprig of thyme
• zest of 1 meyer lemon (if you don't have a meyer lemon, you can use a regular lemon)

Directions:

• In a small saucepan, add the sprig of thyme, zest of one lemon, water and sugar.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and strain.
• Pour into a plastic (or other freezer safe) bowl and set aside.

Second, Prepare the Fruit.

For this particular sorbet I'm using 1 pint of blackberries, which is about 6 ounces.  The reason I'm using blackberries outside of their peak-season is that someone gave me two pints and I needed to use them up before they molded.

1. Wash the fruit and place in a sauce pot.  Add the juice of 1 meyer lemon.
2. You're going to warm the fruit just to help get all of the juices flowing.
3. Next, you'll mash the fruit in the pot, and then strain into the simple syrup.
4. Thoroughly combine the fruit and simple syrup.

Mix everything together and pop into the freezer! 

1. Mix It Up:  Once you make sure that you've combined your fruit and simple syrup in a freezer-safe container, (I really like disposable plastic containers, like Gladware), place in the freezer and leave it there for 30 minutes.
2. Scrape it Up:  After 30 minutes, remove from freezer and break up the frozen mixture with a fork.  the mixture will be pretty frozen on the edges and still pretty loose in the middle, so make sure to break it all up.
3. Freeze it Up!:  Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
4. Scrape It Up: Just like before, after 30 minutes, remove from freezer and break up the frozen mixture with a fork. This time it will be pretty close to sorbet.
5. Freeze it Up!:  Place back in the freezer for 45 minutes.

At this point, the sorbet should be fully frozen and ready to eat.

Because this sorbet wasn't churned in an ice-cream maker (where air and whipped in and the ice crystals were minimized) this sorbet won't be as smooth as you're probably used to.

To make the mixture smoother:  You could pulse this mixture in a food processor or a blender for about 10 seconds to get to that consistency.  But, I like it just the way it comes out.  Somewhat of a sorbert, slightly like a granita, 100% cool down and delicious.

Make this tonight and cool down tomorrow!

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Guinness

We've dedicated to celebrate St. Patrick's day through baking, of course, with booze.  

For this class, we will focus our baking instruction to all things Irish Whiskey and Spirits!

This baking class features our favorite desserts that utilize Irish Whiskey and Spirits.

Upon arrival, students will engage in a tasting of the spirits that will be utilized in their dessert recipes, including Irish cream and Irish whiskey.

Next, students will receive their recipe packets and get an overview of the underlying science behind the recipes from Chef Chrysta Wilson of Kiss My Bundt Bakery.

Students are then teamed up to make the following recipes:

• Sticky Guinness Cake with Toffee Sauce
• Bailey’s Cake with Irish Cream Buttercream
• Irish Cream Bread Pudding with Whiskey "Caramel" sauce
• Irish Cream Mousse Pie  
• Irish Whiskey and Cream Gelato

*recipe/menu subject to change.  Registered students will be notified of any changes

Students will learn proper baking techniques to frost, fill, decorate and finish their cakes.

BONUS:  Because this class takes place at Surfas Los Angeles, students will also receive a discount coupon to shop in one of Chef Chrysta Wilson's favorite chef Mecca.

Some come and bake before you hit the bar this Saint Patty's Day!

Special Discount for Blog Readers:  Discount Expires on Tuesday 3/7/2012

Additional Info:

• Price: Classes are $77 and this includes material fees.  Students will take home a box of treats created in the class.
• Age Requirements:  Participants should be 16+ years old.
• What To Bring:  Please bring an apron and a knife that you are comfortable using.  

Thanks to Random.org, we got the names of everyone who gave us a Valentine's Day retweet, assigned them a number, and got ourselves two winners for heart and abstract homemade marshmallows!

Congrats Joyce and Zendy!!!

The Number:  1089

The Winners:

What to do now:  In order to mail you your marshmallow treats, I need you to email me at info [at] kissmybundt [dot] net

Getting your Treats: To get your treats, please email me your name and your mailing address, and they'll go in the next day's mail!  You must respond by Tuesday, February 22st because the Marshmallows will expire.  :)