Savory Chorizo and Onion Bread Pudding

Leftover French bread. There is never a shortage of it in our house.
We buy a baguette, gros pain, or campaillette almost every other day and usually don't finish the entire loaf.

So what do you do with it all?
There aren't any village dogs to carry it away since our neighbor's dog, Goomy, passed on. And the village cats don't want it.
There are only so many things you can do with croutons and breadcrumbs.
My New Orleans Bread Pudding is so decadent and rich, and I think should be saved for special occasions. (Husband might disagree. I think he would gladly eat it every day)
And I can't fathom just throwing it away.


My Greens Cookbook has a recipe for Savory Bread Pudding that I've glanced at over the years, and the other day, as I sat there looking at this big chunk of day old gros pain sitting on our kitchen counter and thinking that there was simply no more room in our freezer for more breadcrumbs, inspiration struck.

In the end I didn't use Deborah Madison's recipe. Kevin Weeks had a Savory Spanish Bread Pudding recipe on his blog, Seriously Good, that piqued my interest. I fiddled with it to work with what I had available, and the result was seriously good!


Savory Chorizo and Onion Bread Pudding
serves 4-6

• 6 thick slices French bread (not a skinny baguette - I used gros pain)
  
• 5 eggs
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces dried Spanish chorizo, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup grated Cantal entre-deux* (white Cheddar would also be good)
  

Set oven to 200 degrees F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and dry them in the oven, being careful not to brown them. If your bread is day old, this will take less time than if not. Keep checking it.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add the cut up chorizo. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add onion and sauté until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 1 more minute. Set aside to cool.

Raise oven heat to 400 degrees F.

In a big bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the bread cubes, sautéed chorizo and vegetables, and tomato, and leave it to sit for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times so the bread absorbs all of the liquid.

Pour into a lightly buttered, 8x8-inch square baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for another 20 minutes or until the pudding is puffed up and browned.

Serve immediately.

*I used Cantal Entre-Deux because I had a big chunk to use up. Parmesan or white Cheddar would also work.

La Fête du Fromage - Le Trou du Cru

Attention!
Be very, very careful how you pronounce this cheese's name.

I embarrassingly mangled it in front of my friend's kids. Oops. Honestly, I didn't mean to refer to it an asshole when I asked the fromagère for a piece.

I assume that the name Trou du Cru is a play on words, but the pronunciation of the word cru requires a throaty, gargling sound that is difficult for me!


Basically, Trou du Cru is a flavor-packed, mini Époisses.
It looks like a little muffin and I would have happily peeled back that paper wrapper and devoured it in one bite. However, manners dictated that I share it with my hosts, so I managed to control myself.

The edible rind is washed for several weeks in Marc de Bourgogne, infusing this pasteurized, cow's milk cheese with its flavor and creating a very pungent aroma. The flavor is quite strong, but utterly sublime! Salty, creamy and rich, with mild hints of sweet flowers and pastures.

I will happily buy a little morsel of Trou du Cru again. And I will be very careful how I ask for it.

This one pairs nicely with a glass of chilled Chablis.

Photo du Jour - Chèvre Drizzled with Honey

Locally made, fresh chèvre, drizzled with delicately flavored acacia honey.
This is one of the most sublime mélange of flavors that I have ever tasted.



Don't Forget! Get your entries for December's La Fête du Fromage to me by the end of today. (If you're running a bit late, I'll happily accept them tomorrow, too!)

The Fate of Maurice and His Friends

Maurice and Co. had a wonderful vacation away from their everyday lives of having to forage for food, hide from predators and keep out from under the feet of giant gardeners. They slept their days away, only to emerge at sundown for an evening of eating and frolicking.

As it goes, all vacations must come to an end and Maurice and his friend's vacation ended yesterday.







I couldn't do it. I was giving them names for heaven's sake!

They were set free last night to live out the rest of their days eating our lettuce, cilantro and tomatoes.

And I have to say I'm relieved to have them out of my kitchen. For all of those out there who can raise animals and then eat them, I commend you.
I obviously couldn't!

La Fête du Fromage - Le Chartreux

This cheese is, in a word, approachable.

It doesn't attempt to woo you with unusual rind washes or coatings.
It isn't showy and it doesn't have any distracting bells or whistles. 

Le Chartreux is quite simply, pure eating enjoyment.

This is an artisanal, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese produced in the Vallée des Entremonts, in the French Alps.
Le Chartreux is rich with the flavors of sweet butter and nuts and it has a full bodied mouthfeel and a long, luxurious finish. The texture is smooth and tender and I read that it makes a wonderful melting cheese.
Raclette anyone?

Cheeses from the Savoie are best when paired with wine from the Savoie.

Family, Food and Dancing in California

California.

It means enjoying time with my amazing sister, nieces and nephews, strawberries and sushi, treating myself to a pedicure, the gorgeous beaches along Monterey Bay, Peanut Buster Parfaits, laughing until I cry at my brother in law's witty sense of humor, much missed Mexican food, pastries and cakes from Gayle's Bakery, dancing in the kitchen (photos of which will not been shared to protect the innocent), wearing UGG boots without shame and cooking up Italian feasts with my dad and grandma.

Thankfully all the dancing in the kitchen helps to burn off the calories from all the eating.

Chicken Do Piaza and an Indian Feast

As I mentioned in October, the eight of us who meet every month or so to cook our way through the cuisines of the world were about to become six. Luckily, the two who were leaving us delayed their departure date until late November, so we managed to squeeze in one more dinner before waving goodbye.

Our World Food Evenings began as a casual intention to get together once a month for an Indian curry night and evolved into cooking all-out, authentic feasts from around the globe: Mexico, Turkey, Cuba, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa and even an American Barbecue.

We decided to come full circle for our dinner in November and cooked up another Indian themed meal. And cook we did!

onion bhajis, vegetable pakoras, naan bread, prawn curry, chicken do piaza, saag aloo, masoor dal and rice
What a meal!


naan, ready to be baked


dishing it up


close-up of chicken do piaza


a full plate


This rich chicken dish was our contribution to the meal. If you're an onion lover like me, you will love it!

Chicken Do Piazza

6 tablespoons oil
2 pounds onions
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 big cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Finely slice 2 onions and roughly cut up the rest of the onions.
Mix the chili powder, ground coriander, turmeric and salt together, add the chicken and mix well.
Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.
Spread half of the cut up onions on the bottom of the pan, add the chicken pieces and layer the rest of the cut onions on top of the chicken.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until the onions are have been reduced and become mushy, and the chicken is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan that will be large enough to hold everything later, heat up the rest of the oil over medium heat.
Add the sliced onions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes, until the onions become a pale golden color.
Mix in the bay leaves and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. This will take several minutes.
Add the chicken and onion mixture to the pan and, stirring frequently, cook until everything is well browned and a thick onion sauce has formed.
Just before serving, add the lemon juice, give it a good stir, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves.