An Italian Favorite

Lots of folks have cultural items they put on the table for Thanksgiving...well I'd like to hear, er...read about yours! I'll post my favorite and then please share your own!

Panettone Bread Pudding

Nothing says mmm...holiday time, like some warm, gooey bread pudding. And nothing says Italian like Pannetone Bread Pudding. This recipe (though I wish I had thought of it) is by Ken Oringer of Food and Wine Magazine. No this is not low fat....why the hell should it be...it's the holiday!

Ingredients:

2 lbs panettone, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

one 12-oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Toast the panettone on the oven racks for 8-10 minutes, or until golden; cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to the prepared baking dish.


2. In a saucepan, cook the butter over moderately low heat until nutty and the milk solids are brown, 4-5 minutes. Toss the butter with the panettone.


3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium speed until pale and thick, 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then beat in the heavy cream and evaporated milk. Pour the custard over the panettone; let stand for 1 hour, gently tossing now and then, until the custard is absorbed.


4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bread pudding for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the custard is set. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

The best part about this is that you can make it the day before and refrigerate it until after dinner! And if you serve it with ice cream, it only gets better! Enjoy!

Now what's your tradition?

Sensational Stir Fry

Lately I've bee the Samurai of Stir Fry...the Ace of Asian, and I love it because it's giving the family some crazy good veggies without complaints! I found a wonderful Japanese market that is SO inexpensive it's insane! I stopped by and felt a bit awkward at first, because I was the only non Japanese walking through a small store filled with non English packages. But when they saw me pick up Japanese cabbage, stir fry noodles, sesame seeds, and sushi grade tuna, they quickly started smiling. One man said, "You know how to make this." I said, "Oh yes! We love stir fry in our house." He laughed and point me in the direction of some other great items! I walked out of there with two bags of goodies and only spent $9! My new favorite store. But I digress. I've got a fool0-proof, super yum, stir-fry recipe...that I actually smell as I type! Here it is!

I will heed one warning, although this is really easy, it is a bit time consuming. Also, feel free to substitute your favorite veggies if there is one you don't like.

Ingredients:

3 carrots
2 shallots
1 small bag of bean sprouts
1 zucchini
1 squash
1 container of mushrooms (I use a mix)
4 tall green onions
Sesame seeds
Sesame oil
vegetable oil
cabbage (I cut up about a quarter of a head of napa or Asian which ever is fine)
Kikkoman Stir fry sauce
Chow mein stir fry noodles

Instructions:
Peel and slice all veggies. I use the peeler to make ribbons with the zucchini, squash, carrots, and green onions. I feel like the cook faster this way. Chop the rest of the veggies. Put all of them in a large bowl.
Get out a large wok. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in the wok. I used about 2 tbsp of sesame and 1 of vegetable.
Dump veggies in the wok and cover, let them cook until soft and delicious. In the meantime, follow the directions on the stir fry noodles.
When all of the ingredients are ready, add the noodles to the wok and add the sesame seeds, mix up and then add the sauce. Toss and serve! Enjoy!