Chocolate-Cranberry Bread Pudding

Cool evenings + day od bread. I like to use day-old French Bread in bread pudding because it has more flavor than the gummy white kind. Cinnamon-raisin bread, sweet rolls, even left over Irish soda bread can also be substituted for part of the bread. Puree some seasonal berries for a sauce or serve with a little chocolate sauce, spiked for festive gatherings.

Chocolate-Cranberry Bread Pudding Recipe

Makes 10-12 servings | From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series
chefgeorgehirsch.com 

3-4 cups cubed dry French bread
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberry, raisins, or craisins plumped in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups milk
8 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 Teaspoon nutmeg 

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, butter, and beat with a whisk until well blended. Slowly pour over the bread, cranberry/raisin, nut and chocolate mixture. Poke the bread so that it’s completely covered with the milk mixture and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  

Place a pan larger than the cake pan or skillet in preheated oven and place the pan holding the bead pudding inside. Immediately fill the outer pan with enough hot water so that it comes up one inch on the sides of the bread-pudding pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the water bath, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 25 additional minutes.

Remove the bread-pudding and allow to set for two hours before removing it from the pan.

Serve with warm fruit, vanilla or chocolate sauce.

chefgeorgehirsch.com 

Pâte à Choux

Maybe because it has a French name, or maybe it's because it has a two step process, (first cooked on the stove top, then in the oven) but many cooks avoid this recipe. Make it once and you will be a convert. Cream puff pastry is versatile, and whether it is baked for cream puffs or eclairs, it freezes well. Since they defrost in minutes they can be stuffed with ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce fairly easily prepared for impromptu gatherings + special occasions.


Pâte à Choux (Cream Puff Pastry)

Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | from KNOW YOUR FIRE Cookbook, 1997 by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco 

1 cup of water

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the water, vegetable oil, butter, milk and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook the mixture over low heat until it dries slightly and leaves the sides of the pan, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each one is fully absorbed before adding the next one.

Cover a baking sheet, preferably one without sides, with parchment paper.

Place the paste in a pastry bag with a round tip with a 1/2 inch opening. To make cream puffs, hold the pastry bag at a 45 degree angle touching a paper lined pan. Squeeze the bag. Continue forming the puffs 1 to 2 inches apart. To make eclairs, squeeze the bag as you pull it toward you, making 3 inch long fingers.

Place the choux in the oven, and after 5 minutes, lower the temperature to 375 degrees F. Depending on size, they will require 10 to 15 minutes total cooking time. NOTE: If the oven door is opened before they're almost finished baking, they will collapse, so don;t peek until 10  minutes have passed. To test for doneness, tap one on the bottom. It should sound hollow. Remove and cool on a rack.

How to fill cream puffs:

Wait until the puffs are cool and cut off the top third with a sharp knife. Fill the hollow bottom with a savory such as chicken or crab meat salad or sweet such as pastry cream or ice cream Replace the top and serve. If the filling is a sweet one, dust the cream puffs with confectioners' sugar or pour chocolate sauce over the top.

Herb of the Year

Rose is the winner for 2012. Roses have been used for culinary purposes for centuries in syrups, jams, sweets and teas. It has also been used for its medicinal properties, like it's high in vitamin C. Teas steeped from tea leaves or rose hips have a delightful fruity flavor; ideally serve with scones or cake. Pair my Good Stuff Pick with My Scone Recipe for Mother's Day.

We let Nature speak for itself, hand-picking premium organic teas and herbs and blending them with only real fruits, flowers and spices.  Since we use real ingredients and high quality teas & herbs (not tea dust or fannings), there is no need to apply “natural” flavorings or fragrances to create flavor.  This means you can pronounce the ingredients, know exactly what you’re sipping and savor true gifts of Nature. 

George's Scones | chefgeorgehirsch.com
Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 8 scones in a 9 inch round pan 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold sweet butter, cut into small pieces 
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons pure cane granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk, *made into buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins, **plumped
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar, for making milk into buttermilk

*Add white vinegar to milk to make the buttermilk. Allow to sit 5 minutes to sour. 

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter to flour and blend in by hand until the butter resembles fine crumbs. Add granulated sugar and mix into flour. 

Combine beaten egg, vanilla, and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, toss in plumped raisins and mix by hand until a dough forms. It will take about one minute of kneading until the flour is absorbed. Turn scone dough on to a floured surface. Form in the shape of a ball, do not over knead. With a rolling pin, flatten out dough to one inch thick.

Place the round scone dough into a 9 inch cake pan. With a bench scraper or knife cut though the dough across four times dividing into eight equal pieces. Immediately bake for about 16-18 minutes until dough sounds hollow, a sign it is fully baked. 

Serve warm with jam and clotted whip cream. 

**To plump raisins add 2 tablespoons of water and heat in microwave for 30 seconds. 

Pair with Chili

My number one requested one-pot meal recipe is my White Turkey Chili. It's so easy to prepare, just give all the ingredients time to simmer. Another favorite is my Turkey Gumbo; a spicy and a warm way to serve turkey. 

BTW - my cornbread has got a little kick, like my White Turkey Chili. Enjoy!

White Turkey Chili
Makes six servings | George Hirsch Lifestyle eMagazine
 chefgeorgehirsch.com

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2  cups  onion, chopped
1/4  cup celery,  chopped 
1/2  cup  yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 Tablespoon jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon thyme
fresh ground black pepper
3  cups cooked turkey or chicken, skin removed and chopped 
3  cups cannellini beans, drained and mash 1 cup
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
optional: 1 cup half & half or low fat milk

Pre heat a large casserole pot to medium.

Add olive oil, onion, celery, yellow pepper, jalapeno, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, thyme and black pepper. Add turkey, 2 cups of beans, broth, corn and bring to a boil. 

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add 1 cup mashed beans and half & half to the turkey mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring frequently. Stir in chopped cilantro. 

chefgeorgehirsch.com

Chili Cornbread Recipe

From George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook