Saturday, November 27, 2010

Thanksgiving Bread Pudding

Ok so this is my own adaptation of a savory bread pudding. I made 4 individual bread puddings. The flavor was just wonderful! I took 2 of them over to my neighbors. She is one of my best critics. The craisins added a really nice sweetness to the dish. I used Rice Milk because I don't do well with milk products. It's why this take about an extra 20-30 minutes to bake properly. Also the celery leaves was so much better than the parsley I had initially planned to used. Really kept up with the flavor profile I was going for.

Turkey Sausage Bread Pudding
4 Eggs
2 Cups rice milk
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
5-6 cups stale bread or left over rolls from thanksgiving torn into chunks.
1/2 cup left over dressing
1 lb hot turkey sausage
1/2 cup craisins
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
1/4 cup small diced celery

Combine first 6 ingredients and mix well. Add the rolls and left over dressing and mix well. Put back into fridge. Let the rolls absorb the milk/egg mixture for at least 30 minutes. Remove casing (if any) from turkey
sausage and cook. Cut each sausage in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 slices. Add to milk/roll mixture along with the craisin and celery/leaves.
Butter 4 10oz ramkins. Fill each one and place on cookie sheet. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven, on a rack placed in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then rotate pan and bake for another 20-30
minutes. Remove from oven. Tops should be puffed up and nicely browned. Allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes.
Serve warm
Before Baking



After Baking

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Thai Basil Chicken with Coconut Rice

This is a fabulous dish that is very easy and packs a lot of flavor!! This recipe is curtesy of Cuisine at Home.

Ingredients -

Combine for the Slurry Mixture

3/4 Cup Coconut Milk (Do not confuse coconut milk with cream of coconut.)
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock/Broth
2 Tbs. Oyster Sauce
2 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional)

Season: Stir-Fry in 2-4 Tbs Vegetable Oil

1 lb boneless chicken breast cut into 1-2" chunks.
1 1/2 Cup of green beans (I used the frozen petite green beans, thawed)
1 Cup red bell pepper diced
1 Tbs Garlic, minced

Stir in; Garnish with

1 cup whole or sliced basil leaves (I use a tad more as we really like the flavor)
1 jalapeno thinly sliced with seeds
1/2 Cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (we omit these due to allergies)

Directions --

Combine all ingredients for the slurry and set aside
Season chicken with salt and pepper and then stir fry in 2 T oil over high heat for 5-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and set aside. Heat 1 T oil in same pan add green beans and stir fry 1-2 minutes, add bell pepper and garlic and stir fry another 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and any juices and stir fry 1-2 min. Stir in slurry mixture and cook 2 minutes allowing sauce to thicken. Stir in basil and jalapeno and garnish with peanuts. Serve over Coconut Rice (See Below)

Coconut Rice (Start this cooking then start working on the other dish. You can turn stove down to lowest heat to keep warm)

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt (do not use table salt or you'll over salt it)
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice (rinse before adding to liquid)
Finish with 2 Tbs fresh lime juice and 1 Tbs unsalted butter.

Bring stock, coconut milk, sugar and salt to boil, add rice, cover and turn to low and let cook 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minute before stirring. Add fresh lime juice and butter and fluff.

This recipe is just wonderful!