Recipe: Spiked Eggnog Bread Pudding
OK, one more bread pudding but I swear that’s it.
A friend sent me a text the other day, “Can you make me some bread pudding to feed 15 people?”
My reply was, “What kind?”
Hers was, “Whatever you think.”
You never want to leave me with that kind of play.
| Spiked Eggnog Bread Pudding |
- Bread Pudding
- 2 cups demarerra sugar
- 5 large beaten eggs
- 2 eggnog
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups French bread, cubed and stale
- 1/2 pound white chocolate chips
Hard Sauce
- 1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Boubon to taste
- Bread Pudding
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (American).
- Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan with butter.
- Whisk together the sugar, eggs and eggnog in a bowl then mix in the vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and set aside for about 10 minutes.
- Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle white chocolate, mix and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.
Hard Sauce
- Mix together the sugar and butter in a saucepan over low heat.
- Stir together until well blended.
- Add the vanilla, stirring well then the bourbon.
- Pour over the top of the bread pudding.
Thanksgiving Leftovers
Ah Black Friday, one of the most feared and anticipated days of the year. Of course I am referring to the Friday after Thanksgiving – the annual quest to figure out what to do with all of those Turkey Day leftovers. I’ve never understood why people get so worked up about it. Seriously, all that media coverage just because of a few leftovers? Madness!
I watched some of the innovative ideas that the TV chefs offered this past week during the barrage of Thanksgiving food shows that permeated cable. Some were pretty good. I especially liked Sunny Anderson’s idea for taking leftover dressing and deep frying it. Perhaps it is because I am from the 
South where we fry everything and I mean everything – alligators, dill pickles, chicken gizzards.
The problem with most left-over recipes is that they still taste like Thanksgiving dinner. However, soups can offer an escape from that trap. Do you have a leftover can of pumpkin pie filling? Make pumpkin soup. Do you have leftover potatoes? Make loaded potato soup. Leftover turkey? I have got a soup for that as well. It was an improvised soup of the day I did at a restaurant once that people liked so much it went on the permanent menu. It’s called Turkey Queso Soup and it’s easy.
| Turkey Queso Soup |
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, shredded or diced
- 1 TBL Cumin
- 1 tsp smoked parika
- 1 tsp Chipotle chili powder
- 1 cup leftover turkey meat, pulled or diced
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine the cream of chicken soup, evaporated milk and cheese. Bring slowly to a simmer.
- Once the cheese has melted into the soup stir in the cumin, then smoked paprika and finally the chili powder. Let simmer for a few minutes then stir in the turkey.
- Allow to simmer a few minutes more and then serve with tortilla chips on the side.
Or you could do what I do with leftover Thanksgiving dinner, reheat and eat. Come on we wait 365 days for Thanksgiving dinner because we love the meal. Why not enjoy it another time or two before moth-balling it for another year? Now that I have helped you to put your leftover fears to rest you can spend Black Friday doing something fun like going shopping. I bet you’ll have the stores to yourself.
ICA: Flay/Symon vs. Morimoto/Cora
There are few things better than an Iron Chef on Iron Chef show down. Tonight on a special Iron Chef was the last year’s Battle: Thanksgiving with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon teaming up to take on the team of Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora.
The judges for Battle: Thanksgiving were Tiki Barber, Donatella Arpaia and Lou Diamond Phillips. As a special treat Ted Allen joins Kevin Brauch as a floor reporter.
Iron Chefs Michael Symon & Bobby Flay’s Dishes
- Butter-Poached Lobster with Leeks and Puffed Wild Rice
- Fry Bread Taco with Spice-Crusted Venison
- Duck 3 Ways
- Cedar-Planked Heritage Turkey with Ancho Gravy and Cranberries
- Indian Pudding with Cinnamon and Nutmeg Ice Cream
Iron Chefs Cat Cora & Morimoto’s Dishes
- Seared Venison Tenderloin on a Salt Brick
- Asian Lobster Stew
- Duck Skewers 4 Ways
- Tandori Turkey
- Japanese Braised Red Snapper
- Thanksgiving Rice
- Walnut Souffle
Check below for the outcome.
Flay/Symon Morimoto/Cora
Taste: 27 Taste: 26
Plating: 13 Plating: 14
Originality: 15 Originality: 14
Total: 55 Total: 54
ICA: Flay/Symon vs. Garces/Forgione
There are few things better than a Iron Chef on Iron Chef show down. Tonight on a special Iron Chef was the annual Battle: Thanksgiving with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon teaming up to take on the last two Next Iron Chef winners Jose Garces and Marc Forgione.
These types of battles are always fun. There’s no mystery – you know in advance who the competitors are, what the theme is and all that is left is to make some of the best Thanksgiving food ever. Ever.
The judges for tonight’s Battle: Thanksgiving were Karine Bakhoum, Henry Winkler and Cady Huffman. This was the first time in Kitchen Stadium for the Fonz.
Check below for the outcome.
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Flay/Symon Garces/Forgione
Taste: 29 Taste: 25
Plating: 15 Plating: 14
Originality: 15 Originality: 15
Total: 59* Total: 54
*One point shy of a perfect score.
