Croissant Bread Pudding

My brother manages an Irish restaurant here in Baltimore and I usually have a hard time deciding whether I want the creme brulee or the bread pudding. Since I already had a creme brulee this week, I decided it was time to make my own bread pudding this weekend. Here is my adaptation of Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) classic:

Croissant Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs
8 egg yolks (save the egg whites for low-cholesterol omelets!)
5 C half and half
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 croissants, preferably stale
1 C dried cherries*
1/4 C chocolate chips (optional)

*Ina Garten suggested raisins but you could use any dried fruit. I am thinking my next test will be with dried blueberries.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl. Set the custard mixture aside. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. I chose to also slice them in half again. In a 10 x 15 x 2 1/2 inch baking dish, layer the bottom halves of the croissants. Sprinkle layer of dried cherries and chocolate chips. Then add the tops of the croissants. (It reminded me of making a lasagna. I did a second layer of croissants and cherries.) Pour the custard mixture over the croissants and allow them to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently throughout the time.

Place the baking dish in a larger pan filled with an inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil and cut a couple vent holes into the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 40-45 minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

The Barefoot Contessa suggested serving it with a rum-flavored whipped cream. We substituted the rum with an Irish Cream liqueur but it is not necessary. Enjoy!

Come to the Cabaret!

We just got back from an arts education forum in New Orleans this week and were trying to think of something to continue the spirit. What could be better than supporting the arts through "Crazy for Cockpit: A Benefit Cabaret."

Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre has been serving the greater Baltimore area with professional-quality live theatre at family-friendly prices for more than thirty years. Each summer, on the campus of CCBC Essex, Cockpit in Court offers excellent large-scale musicals in a 412-seat Mainstage Theatre; comedies and dramas in an intimate 160-seat Cabaret Theatre; and a high-energy children’s musical in the 220-seat Lecture Hall. Overall, audiences of more than 7,000 come to Cockpit in a summer, and more than a hundred area artists, performers, directors, and musicians offer their talents on stage and behind the scenes.

Six-Burgh "Steels" Super Bowl XLIII

I guess it really all started after Super Bowl XL (or perhaps even further back, when I met my husband at college in Ohio). My brother-in-law had just moved to Cleveland and named their chocolate Cheasapeake Bay Retriever, Bettis, after the beloved Pittsburgh running back.

One day before the 2008 AFC Championship game, my husband was interviewed by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. They ended the article with his take on our Charm City vs. his hometown:

"'When I first moved here, I couldn't believe how similar the cities are. The people, in general, really remind me of home.' Before you start thinking he's gone crazy from too much mercury in his salmon, know that he'll be returning to Pittsburgh this weekend for the AFC Championship game. And he'll be rooting for the good guys."

After the AFC Championship game, he waved his terrible towel and gave a High 5 to Steelers (and ex-Wolverine) LaMarr Woodley (#56).

A week later, friends of ours offered us the chance to adopt a male brindle boxer puppy. We didn't think twice... By the food bowl measurements, we knew the puppy could grow up to be 6'2" and 265 lbs. We easily felt he could earn 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble - all unassisted - in the Puppy Super Bowl. So, we lovingly named him Woodley. Now, Woodley joins his boxer big sister, Mabel, and the two rockstar felines, Hops and Wyatt, in our N. Luzerne Steeler Nation!

Never fear, dear Ohio family and friends: I did not let the excitement go completely to my head. I voted for Santonio Holmes and The Ohio State University as Super Bowl MVP. Go Buckeyes!