Savory Bread Pudding with Tomato Jam

Paula Dean meets Fork Heart Knife? We had brunch at one of my favorite Cincy restaurants a few weeks ago and I have been dreaming about that meal ever since. We bought way too much bread last week and I want to experiment and recreate some of the meal.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients
(2 cups granulated sugar)
5 large beaten eggs
2 cups milk
(2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
(1 cup packed light brown sugar)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans


(Ingredients from Paula Dean's recipe I would not include. I would probably use a little sugar, salt, and actually skew the recipe more savory with Italian spices and some Italian cheeses like romano and grana padano)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. (Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and) bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

Fork Heart Knife's Tomato Jam
"in a big pot, the huge can of tomatoes, with the juices and basil. 8 cups of distilled white vinegar along with a splash of sherry vinegar. 3 cups of sugar. some fresh thyme and paprika and a few spoonfuls of vanilla. let it all cook together on the stovetop for a while. breaking up the tomatoes and cooking off a little vinegar.. after it had boiled a bit, i added the juice of a lemon (just to be sure it would gel a bit) and let it chill."

Crostini with White Cheddar, Apples and Onion

I found this recipe on this website.

Ingredients

Topping
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
non-stick cooking spray

24, 1/2-inch-thick slices of whole-wheat baguette, cut on the diagonal
1 8-ounce package reduced- fat Cabot white cheddar cheese, cut into 24 slices
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Directions
Warm half the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, salt, and vinegar. Cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water as the onions cook if they begin to burn or stick.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add the apples and remaining olive oil to the skillet with the onions and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the apples soften but do not become mushy.

Preheat oven 400° F. Cover two large cookies sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Arrange the bread slices and distribute the onion and apple mixture evenly over the bread slices. Top with cheese slices. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese melts. Transfer to a large platter and garnish with fresh thyme.

Hasenpfeffer

I found this recipe here, I got to try it just based upon the Bugs Bunny cartoons...

Ingredients
3 pounds rabbit meat, cleaned and cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon currant jelly
10 black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Sprinkle rabbit with salt and coat with 1/3 cup flour, shaking off excess. Brown rabbit in remaining bacon fat. Remove from skillet, along with all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, and reserve.
2. Saute shallots and garlic in skillet for about 4 minutes, until tender. Stir in wine, 1 cup water and bouillon. Heat to boiling, then stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return rabbit and bacon to skillet. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until rabbit is tender.
3. Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on a warm platter and keep warm while preparing gravy.
4. To Make Gravy: Stir lemon juice into skillet with cooking liquid. Combine 3 tablespoons water with 2 tablespoons flour and mix together; stir mixture into skillet over low heat. Finally, stir in thyme. Pour gravy over stew and serve, or pour into a gravy boat and serve on the side.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 767 | Total Fat: 33.3g | Cholesterol: 300mg

Braised Rabbit with Olives and Preserved Lemon

I found this recipe last Autumn and made the best dish to have ever come out of my kitchen!
I found it on this Georgia Pelligrini's blog, she is a chef and a hunter. The marinade alone was sooooo delicious that I think it could make a great chicken dish in a pinch!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Marinade:

1 whole rabbit, quartered, loins removed and rack chopped into large pieces
½ large onion, cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, cut into 1” pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1” pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Bouquet garni of 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, and 1 sprig parsley
½ bottle white wine

For the Braising:

1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
Peel of ½ preserved lemon, julienned
¼ cup nicoise, kalamata or other mixed olives
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

For the Marinade:
1. Combine all ingredients except the rack of rabbit in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least one hour.

For the Braising:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease the rabbit rack, place on a sheet tray, and roast for 20 – 25 minutes or until well browned.
3. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter.
4. Remove the meat from the marinade, pat dry and sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour.
5. Place the rabbit legs, skin side down, along with the loins in the skillet until well browned. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove from the pan.
6. Add the vegetables from the marinade to the pan, and lightly caramelize in the same fat. Sprinkle with flour, stir and let cook for a few minutes.
7. Add the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes.
8. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and reserved marinade, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and reduce the liquid until the sauce is thick.
9. Return the legs to the skillet, skin side up, along with the loins and roasted rack.
10. Add the chicken stock and bouquet garni, cover and let simmer for about 1 hour until the legs are tender.
11. Turn off the heat and add the preserved lemon, olives and chopped herbs, stir and let sit for 15 minutes before se

Frittata con Crepes de Maíz

Ever wake up and you really don't have your normal breakfast foods stocked in the kitchen? We didn't have any bread, just enough eggs to make a frittata, a splash of milk and a wee bit of turkey bacon left.

So without some carbs at the ready I quickly whipped up a "Mexican flatbread" just inspired by what little ingredients I had:
Ingredients
2/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flower
1/3 to 1/2 cup Corn Flower
Canola Oil
Flax Seeds (both toasted and ground flax)
Chia Seeds
Dried Cilantro
Garlic Salt
Regular Salt
Black Pepper
Baking Soda
Water (added until the mixture gets to your preferred pancake batter consistency)

So the Protein portion of breaky was:
4 eggs
Skim Milk
Diced Onions
4 slices of Turkey bacon
Frozen Spinach
Spices (like the cilantro, salt, pepper)
I have would added garlic too if we had some.

In a cast-iron skillet I sautéed the Onions and Bacon until browned. I added the frozen spinach (and garlic) and stirred everything until it thawed. I whipped together the eggs and milk with the spices and added to the skillet stirring for a moment for even distribution of all the ingredients. I preheat the oven to 350F while the frittata begins cooking on top of the range. I placed the cast-iron skillet in the oven and let everything bake until firm. I sometimes broil the top for a brown, bubbly goodness.

I serve a slice of frittata over the flatbread and for a spicy finish I garnished with Frontera Grills Tomatillo and Black Pepper salsa.