#COOKING WITH CLORIS--RHUBARB SOURDOUGH BREAD PUDDING

Molly MacRae is the author of the award-winning Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries. She was also one of the authors who participated in bestselling Bake, Love,Write: 105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing. Today I’m featuring Molly’s Rhubarb Sourdough Bread Pudding from the book. Learn more about Molly and her books at her website.

Rhubarb Sourdough Bread Pudding

12 ounces sourdough bread ripped into 1/2”-1” pieces

1-1/2 cups milk

4 tablespoon butter

5 eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

4 cups rhubarb*, chopped

1/2 cup raw or brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

*Only use the fleshy red stems. Some rhubarb is sold with the leaves still on. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous.

Spread bread on a cookie sheet and lightly toast. Place in a greased 3 qt. casserole dish.

Melt butter with milk. Pour over bread in casserole.

Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and zest. Stir in rhubarb and ginger. Stir rhubarb and egg mixture into bread mixture. Top with sugar and pecans.

Bake for 55-60 minutes until set.

Bake, Love, Write:

105 Authors Share Dessert Recipes and Advice on Love and Writing

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes—selling a book, winning a writing award, making a bestseller list, or receiving a fabulous review—with decadent indulgences. And when authors chat with each other, they often talk about their writing and their lives. Recipes. Writing. Relationships. In this cookbook 105 authors not only share their favorite recipes for fabulous cakes, pies, cookies, candy, and more, they also share the best advice they’ve ever received on love and writing.

A percentage of the profit from Bake, Love, Write is donated to NoKidHungry.org.

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COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JACQUIE BIGGAR & PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

Jacquie Biggar knew from the time she was twelve years old, that she wanted one day to be a writer. But she grew up, got married, raised a family and left her writing urges to simmer in the background unattended. Now she’s ready to take up the writing reins and see how far she can travel. Learn more about Jacquie and her writing at her website. 

Fifteen years ago I was waitressing in small local café in our hometown of Edson Alberta, Canada. One day the owner, a family friend, announced she had to give up the restaurant due to bad knees. I went home, talked it over with DH, and next thing you know, we were the proud owners of the Bluejay Café.

Only problem was, I didn’t know how to cook! I mean I could cook, but my nickname was Hamburger Helper Queen. That should tell you something right there. Thank God I had my mom, who stayed by my side, and taught me how to do everything from making soup stock to gravy, to desserts. I would’ve been lost without her.

Those were some of the longest days of my life. Between learning the kitchen, trying to figure out the menus, and print them myself. Configuring the till to accept the proper tax amounts, finding the right staff (one of THE most important components of a successful restaurant,) setting up accounts with suppliers, and oh yeah, the books, oy!

Not to mention a young daughter and a hubby that put in long hours of his own and expected a good meal on the table when he arrived home. But I learned. And I’m proud to say we turned that café into one of the most popular places in town. I was even noticed by a couple of food critics traveling the province who featured us in their book, The Food Lover’s Trail Guide to Alberta, an honor for sure.

One of the most popular desserts we made was bread pudding. Then one day I thought, why not kick this up a notch? Hence the creation of Pumpkin Bread Pudding. My book, Tidal Falls, centers largely on a local café, Grits and Grace, kind of catchy, don’t you think?

Grace’s Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

Assorted bread cubes (I save my crusts of white, brown and cinnamon raisin, then rip them into bite size pieces.)

handful of raisins

6-8 large eggs

4 cups sugar

cinnamon

shake of salt

1 can pumpkin puree

milk, approximately 1 litre

margarine

brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill Dutch oven with mixed bread cubes and raisins.

In a separate large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon and shake of salt. Add pumpkin puree. Mix. Slowly add milk until mixture is loose. Pour mix over bread and stir, should be soupy—not too loose, though—just so you see the liquid through the bread. If not, add a couple more eggs and milk blended together to the mix. When you have a nice consistency sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon and small dollops of margarine over the top.

Bake 60-90 minutes. Top will gain a nice crunchy golden look. Take a knife and spread the center apart to tell if done. Drizzle some of your favorite caramel sundae sauce over the top and enjoy.

Tidal Falls

Sara Reed is on the run from an abusive ex who happens to have ties to a Mexican cartel. Mistakenly thinking she and her daughter would be safer if she had some kind of leverage, she takes a copy of some valuable files, files that make her a target.

Nick Kelley is an ex-marine trying to find his place now that his career is over due to injuries suffered from an IED. When the two of them meet in the pretty little town of Tidal Falls, the experience is explosive.

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COOKING WITH CLORIS - CRANBERRY CARAMEL APPLE BREAD PUDDING

One of the ways you can get a leg up on your holiday dinner is to use your slow cooker. This recipe takes virtually a couple of minutes to prepare and makes a yummy side dish in place of stuffing or potatoes to complement your turkey or ham. It’s also great for a New Year’s Eve buffet.

Cranberry Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

1 loaf cubed day-old Pepperidge Farm caramel apple bread

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup dried cranberries

Place cubed bread in slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine the next 6 ingredients, beating until smooth. Stir in cranberries. Pour mixture over bread, stirring gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- APPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. If you want something a bit different from the standard stuffing this year, try Cloris’s Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding. Because you make it in the crock pot, you don’t have the hassles of stuffing the turkey. -- AP

APPLE CRANBERRY BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray
10 cups cubed brioche or challah bread

4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

2-1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 can whole cranberry sauce

Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick spray. Place bread cubes in the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle in walnuts. Mix loosely with bread. Place eggs in mixer and whip. Continue whipping as you add milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour over bread. Press down to submerge bread. Add spoonfuls of cranberry sauce on top of the bread. Cover and cook on high for 2 hrs.

This sounds like it would make a great dessert as well. Anyone going to try it? -- AP