Challah for Dessert

On a recent trip to Brookston with some of my new friends. We stopped by  Two Cookin' Sisters for jam and gifts. We also ate lunch at Klein Brot Haus. I picked up a few loafs of my favorite bread, challah. I normally eat challah with butter or jam, it makes a great sandwich and french toast. However, I left it out the fridge, oops! I deiced to take the stale challah and make a dessert.   

Bread Pudding:

3 3/4 cups challah bread, cut into 1 inch squares

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond extract

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs

5-6 ramikins, buttered

Toppings:

1 lemon, zest

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2  tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375˚

Cut up the challah bread into about 1 inch slices, do not remove the crust.  In a large bowl or a mixer, mix together the bread, melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix well to make a mushy batter. Slowly mix in the milk and cream, almond extract and vanilla extract.

In a small mixing bowl add together the topping ingredients and mix well with a fork.  Divide the almond topping mixture in half.  Divide 1/2 of the almond mixture into the bottoms of the buttered ramekins and top with batter, about 1/2 cup.   Top with the remaining half of the almond mixture.  Place the ramekins on a foil wrapped cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the  bread pudding is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  If the bread is turning to brown, lightly cover with a sheet of foil.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Passover Chroses

Passover is my favorite holiday... nothing ever changes except the location. The rituals, the traditions, the food... It is so good. This recipe comes from a very old, very stained cookbook from the Lafayette Sisterhood. My mom has a copy that my grandmother, Bubbe (with a recipe handwritten on the inside cover), gave her and I have my Bubbe's copy.


In my home this is a very treasured and very loved cookbook. When I was younger, grampa and I would get the mortar and pestle out and peel the apples together and hand grind the nuts, no food processesers allowed. Obviously that has changed. Happy Passover and next year in Jerusalem!

1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled

1 Braburn Apple, peeled

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 tea cinnamon

1/4 to 1/3 cup honey

Manichevitz wine

1 lemon, juiced

Peel the apples and slice them in to 5 or 6 pieces. In a small bowl, add together the apples and 1/2 of the lemon juice with warm water. This will keep the apples from browning. Let it sit for 10 minutes or more. In a food processor chop the apple pieces into small bits. Do not let the apples become soft or applesaucy. Mix together the apples, walnuts, and the remainder of lemon juice to taste. Add in cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the wine and honey- all to taste. This gets better the longer it sits in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Ellie's Lemon Vinaigrette:

This is my mom's everyday, easy salad dressing. It is really fresh and bright, lemony and clean. We had it at dinner on Saturday with the salmon and coconut-cashew rice. This dressing is one of the best dressings and serve it with radicchio and escarole, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  This very simple salad, with its lemony goodness is  nice fresh and a good balance with a heavy, richer  main dish.

Ellie's Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon tarragon, optional

1.2 teaspoon sage, optional

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend until, smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Yum!