Irish Bread & Butter Pudding with Whiskey Cream

I've made a couple discoveries: 1) I don't like whiskey.  2) Whiskey-spiked whipped cream is the bomb.

I adapted Joe's grandmother's Irish Bread & Butter Pudding for my book club's Irish tea-themed event last week.  I'd had it many times made by his mom, and it's the ultimate comfort food.  Perhaps the main way Irish Bread & Butter Pudding differs from other bread puddings is that the bread is buttered before being soaked with the custard and baked.  But I wanted to update the recipe a little.  For a fancier teatime look I made the pudding in this quiche dish instead of the ordinary 9x13-inch pan.  I also lightened up quantities of butter and eggs, and both endeavors called for messing with all the proportions.  I used my co-workers as guinea pigs for the first batch, which I can now admit was a bit soggy.  I don't think they noticed, though, because it was the whiskey-spiked whipped cream that got all the attention.  "Did you say whiskey??"  Yes, and go light on the whipped cream, at least until deadline.

That was my other update: I soaked the raisins in whiskey, and then spiked the whipped cream with some.  I love how the cream smooths out the edges of the hard stuff.  This is not your grandma's bread pudding.  Or at least not Grandma O'Neil's, though her whiskey-free original is still awesome.  I also brush some apricot jam on at the end for added sweetness and color.  And the proportions of round two worked out with the approval of Joe, who said it tasted authentic, in the family sense.

The gracious hosting and gorgeous decor were courtesy of Rebecca of A Love Letter to Rome. The amazing Mrs. Hot Potato baked the lower two tiers of Lemon; Chocolate, Almond & Toffee; and Parmesan Thyme Cheddar Chive Shortbread.

I got compliments on the pudding at book club, and my friends shared my co-workers' enthusiasm for the whiskey cream.  They even dolloped it on top of scones.  Add some Irish tea, beer, colcannon, haddock chowder, soda bread, shortbread, and Irish fiddling, and we had the makings of a lovely afternoon.

Boston Globe Review: Peruvian Place, plus other stuff

I was excited to find a Peruvian restaurant south of Boston!  Read the review to find out what I thought.  And pardon the photos -- the photographer assignment fell through, so they fell back on my cellphone photos.

Read the review: http://b.globe.com/11s4ptE

It has also been a good eats week, since my girlfriends came up for a visit, one of them all the way from Germany.  They asked to visit The Bloomy Rind, the cheese shop I reviewed last year, and we took the food to the beach for a picnic.

Clockwise from top-left: The Cherry & White Tea Preserves were divine with the Crema Kasa. Kale & chorizo salad. Gouda and Crema Kasa in front, and goat cheese with blueberries, and goat cheese with fennel & lavender pollen behind. Cubano sandwich with farro salad. Beef jerky bar I wasn't brave enough to get.

It was like an eating adventure: we got kale & chorizo salad, and farro salad, and sampled other delicious fare like fresh pea guacamole and a romesco.  Our sandwiches included a bacon & brie, Mediterranean vegetables with hummus and feta, and a Cubano.  We got several cheeses, and finished with Vermont goat milk caramels.  Other good eats of the week included getting Indian with my friends, and an Irish-themed party with a different set of friends (I'll save that for another post).

Of course all the food we've eaten together over the years hasn't been so refined as that from the cheese shop.  We did go to college together -- 'nuff said, right?  What do you eat when you get together with old friends?

Rosemary-Lavender Shortbread

One day, on an impulse, I bought a small bag of culinary lavender.  Then I wondered what to do with it.  I'd always associated lavender with soap and potpourri, and imagined lavender ice cream or lavender baked goods would taste soapy.  I'm glad to report these shortbread are not at all soapy.  I'd call them herby and lightly floral, and I wasn't prepared for the glowing reaction they got.  See, I liked them well enough, but I was dreaming of chocolate ice cream, or summery peach cobbler.  And I didn't want a load of buttery shortbread around the house, so I brought them to work.  Their unusual flavor combination, cute teapot shapes, and pretty sprigs got plenty of attention, and lots of compliments.

Squares of shortbread dough flecked with rosemary and lavender. Press some rosemary sprigs into some
of the shortbread for a decorative touch. Then everything gets a dusting of sugar.

The shortbread are sandy and buttery, and accented with honey along with the lavender and rosemary.  Make sure you use dried culinary lavender; the leaves in the sachet that scents your drawer might have chemicals on them.  I adapted this recipe from Epicurious to include the lavender.  I also altered the method to make lots of cutout cookies that would hold their shape when handled, as opposed to two simple rounds scored into triangles.

These are perfect for a fancy tea, but since the temperatures hit 90 yesterday I made a strawberry oolong iced tea steeped with lavender instead.  (To be honest, I like it better without the lavender.)  For a bit of color, splash in about a teaspoon of cranberry juice.  Pour over ice, cool down, and have a cookie.

Spinach and Ricotta Challah

I think this is the prettiest bread I've ever baked.  Honestly, though, I stood in my kitchen beaming like I'd sculpted some masterpiece.  This is a challah filled with spinach and ricotta and pine nuts, shaped into a mock braid, and sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds.  When I realized the method for braiding was the same I had used for my Braided Lemon Bread, I dove right in.  Here's a how-to guide.

Before you assemble: Make sure your dough is on a parchment sheet or silicone mat.  Otherwise, it will be almost impossible after to move to the baking pan while keeping it intact.
1. Cut the rectangle of dough so there are tabs on the top and bottom, and evenly spaced strips on either side.  Spread the filling down the middle.  Try to avoid snacking on too many of the toasted pine nuts and depleting them, which is easier said than done.
2. Fold down the top tab, then fold over one side strip, followed by the one on the opposite side, repeating all the way down.  Easy!  So you're either folding left-right-left-right, or right-left-right-left.
3. Before you finish folding all the strips, fold the bottom tab up, then braid the remaining strips over it.  You might have noticed I don't have an even number of strips on each side -- don't repeat my mistake.  If you do, no big deal.  I just tucked the last extra strip under.  Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, and you're ready to bake!

Joe loved the bread and devoured it.  I froze the second loaf, because he vetoed my idea of giving it away.  I have to confess, however, that I didn't love the bread as much as I thought I would.  I felt like the filling could benefit from a stronger flavor like goat cheese or feta.  Also, the dough was just too wet and I had to add nearly an extra cup of flour to make the dough come together, even though I weighed the ingredients so measurements should have been precise.  And as nice as the bread was, I found myself thinking the flaky phyllo layers of spanakopita were superior.  Still, all the while, I never got tired of marveling at how pretty my loaves were.

Boston Globe Review: Turkish Comfort Food

Have you tried Turkish food?  Chicken Kabob in Stoughton offers more than kebabs: stuffed grape leaves, grilled whole fish, and these desserts.  I definitely indulged my sweet tooth with kadayif, sekerpare, and pistachio baklava.

Read my review at: http://bo.st/184UYGx

Italian Stuffed Cabbage

I had heard of Polish stuffed cabbage but not Italian, and when I first saw the recipe at Smitten Kitchen I knew I had to make it.  A meatball of Italian sausage is rolled up in savoy cabbage leaves, and slowly simmered in tomato sauce.  But the recipe wasn't exactly healthy, so I set about with some tweaks.  I swapped out the pork sausage for chicken sausage, low-carb whole wheat bread for white bread, and low-fat milk for whole milk.  But it wasn't right: the meat was too lean, so the texture and taste were a bit lacking.  I tried again and went halfway, using a blend of pork sausage and chicken sausage, and the result was healthier and heavenly.  

Production and cooking do take time, so set aside a lazy Sunday when you'll want to putter in the kitchen.  You'll need to carefully peel and blanch cabbage leaves, make the filling, and then cook the parcels for about an hour.  Another error I made the first time was buying a small head of cabbage; the larger the head, the larger the leaves, and the more likely the leaves will fully envelop the filling.  The whole wheat bread also isn't as soft as white bread, and chicken sausage isn't as soft as pork sausage -- I used the food processor to blend them, buzzing the bread into crumbs and chopping the sausage up finer.  Finally, I did away with the toothpicks on the second try.  They're not necessary, and I don't like the idea of biting into a stray one.

The serving suggestion of mashed potatoes on the side is perfect.  Although it took a bit of work to put this together yesterday, all I've got to do tonight is reheat.  Joe really loved these, and I'm look forward to digging into the leftovers come dinnertime.

Spring!! And Pork Belly Buns

By the time spring arrives, I've been feeling cooped up and in need of fresh air and growing things.  Summer has always been my favorite season, a time for vacations, beaches, and barbeque.  But living through New England's dark, cold winters has given me a real appreciation and love of spring.  Everything finally bursts into bloom.  I can't wait to see tulips, peonies, and alliums, and I've already had some daffodil sightings.  Tree blossoms are also my favorite, and I always get a little sad when they fade and get carried off by the wind.

I knew I was probably too early, but the day was warm and bright so I went for a stroll at the Public Garden in Boston this week.  About 3 percent of the place was in bloom, but I was so excited to see these magnolias.

I don't know the names of the ducklings, but this one and its siblings were dolled up for spring.

While the swan boats weren't out for the season yet, these ducks had plenty of watchers.

And since it was such a lovely day, I walked over to the Prudential Center for some lunch.  I got these steamed buns filled with pork belly at the food truck Fugu.  It was a tough call between these and the kimchee bulgogi panini, but the buns were really good.  Great way to cap off a spring walk.