Sunday we had a dinner/get together of my Williams-Sonoma family to celebrate Annie and let her know how much we'll miss working with her everyday. Maureen generously donated her place. In my jet lagged fog, I forgot to put my camera in my bag after I down loaded some of my Vegas pictures, so I'll have to wait until Maureen emails me some to post on the blog. It was very nice. The food was delicious. I made my Bread Pudding. (I squeezed in the baking in between work and UFC on the day before.) Annie was very emotional and teary. It was good to see her. It was like she never left. She still refers to WS stuff as "we" and "us". Georgie showed up as a surprise! A lovely time was had by all.
I'm still tired. But, I don't feel nearly as tired as I did last week. Jet lag did officially last until Monday afternoon. I had my first mammogram at 8:30am on Monday (I'm not sure what I was thinking when I booked that appointment on my first day off in a week) The mammogram...no big deal...but awkward and uncomfortable. To paraphrase my friend Bonnie..."I don't why they have to squish them like that...I wonder how they do that with women who don't have very much?" I went to do some errands then went to Perfect for Dim Sum. It had been too long. Then I came home at 11:45am and crashed. Annie called me around 4:30 pm but I was still too asleep and groggy to talk. I slept for another 2 hours... Since then, even though I haven't been getting too much sleep, I feel back to normal. Ability to focus is back.
I had many compliments for the Bread Pudding I made for Maureen's. Many requests for the recipe. Here it is.
Carolyn's Maple Bread Pudding.
One 1 1/2 pound Raisin Challah bread, egg bread or brioche (day old preferable) cut into 1 inch square cubes.
8 large eggs
1 litre whipping cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup maple syrup (preferably medium, but any kind is okay)
1 tablespoon vanilla paste (extract is okay)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins (I use sultanas)
Topping
3 tbsp unsalted butter (more to grease the pan)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Whisk eggs, cream sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl to blend. Add bread and raisins; stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Each piece of bread should be thoroughly soggy :)
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Transfer bread mixture to prepared dish. Using a fork, combine butter and brown sugar in a small bowl, until well combined. Top the bread with the butter/brown sugar mixture like a crisp topping. (A thin layer spotted all over)
Bake until puffed and golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. (If your oven is like mine, after 30 min, turn the baking dish to brown evenly)
Cool slightly, then serve and enjoy! Great the next day too. Just cover with foil and reheat slightly in the oven.
Tip: I also have used this recipe for gifts at Christmas. To get the perfectly cut pieces, I butter the 13x9x2 rectangular baking pan then I put in a piece of parchment large enough to cover the entire pan with at least 1 inch overhang. Then I butter the parchment paper and pour in the bread mixture. When baked and cooled completely, I pull out the bread pudding using the parchment. I then cut into quarters to package up as treats or hostess gifts. Or, I have also used the parchment technique with 4x1 pound loaf pans. (This is great if I don't want to slice them.)
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