It seems so simple: making dinner for yourself is more rewarding and fulfilling because you took time to do it. This article explores the idea even further, suggesting we may be hard-wired to actually enjoy things we worked for more than the things that are easy to obtain.
I'm all for taking the time to cook dinner. Cooking is such an enjoyable activity, and something that is creative and sometimes relaxing after a busy day spent running from place to place. I love browsing epicurious.com and selecting new recipes to try. We often find ones we love; we rarely dislike the results of our culinary adventures.
In honor of this article, I present two recipes for my latest obsession: savory bread pudding. What could be better comfort food?
The first, Goat Cheese and Rosemary Bread Puddings, is in the oven as I type. I can't wait. I think it's physically impossible for this combination to taste bad. The list of ingredients is simple: bread, fresh rosemary, goat cheese, eggs, cream, and milk. I put it in little individual crocks and can't wait to taste the result!
The second is a smash hit in our household: Tomato Bread Pudding. Topped with a little freshly grated cheese, it becomes a one dish mixture reminiscent of tomato soup and grilled cheese.
However, I have to admit I don't follow the recipe as it is stated on epicurious. This is a little problem I have, called never following a recipe exactly as it's presented, ever. Oh well, here's my version:
Ingredients
5 cups of bread cubes, whatever you have on hand (I like anything without high fructose corn syrup).
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 (14 1/2 oz) can organic tomato sauce (this is because I was lazy and didn't want to puree whole tomatoes)
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (a huge reduction from the 2/3 cup suggested; I found it so scarily sweet the first time I made it I spent 20 minutes trying to rescue the tomato mixture by adding more salt and tomato paste. I've since realized it's much better less sweet).
1 TBS tomato paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Frank's Red Hot!)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss bread with melted butter in a 13 by 9 inch baking dish until coated.
Add tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, tomato paste, salt, and hot sauce to a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring to break up the tomato paste. Pour over the bread mixture, stirring to combine. Bake, uncovered, until edges are beginning to caramelize, 35-40 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment