Welfare Info?

[dude]

Has anyone heard from our friends who were in harms way in Florida and Texas and the Caribbean.  Chris James, Steven Adamson, AD Forums member ChrisR and others?

I haven't heard from any of them since the storms passed.

I hope all are OK.

Mike

 

[ChrisR]

ChrisR here - all is well. I'm out in the boonies of west-central Texas and no storm would have the audacity to come pester us here. Fortunately, a few friends in the Houston/Galveston area have checked in doing fine as well. Thanks forchecking!

[Cole Parker]

I think everyone was evacuated.  They may all be on their way back home.

C

[Chris James]

All is well here in south eastern Florida, the storm went to the west side. Probably because that fanatical homophobe of a local preacher who said he was going to turn away the storm with his prayers...because the gays caused it. I doubt if he will be showing his face in Tampa anytime soon, they got nailed.

But it was kinda windy for a few days. rattled the storm shutters a good deal and we had lots of rain. Half the area lost power, but we seem to be on in invincible power feed due to the local water plant's location. I read a lot, did some writing, and didn't even have to break out the hurricane food supply.

The stores were opened up very quickly, although there was hardly any bread and milk. But it ain't over yet, folks, we have a few months to go in hurricane season. 

[Merkin]

So glad some of our more "exposed" members are safe and sound.

[Cole Parker]

I could probably go six months without buying either bread or milk.  I guess if you've got young kids in the family, those are necessities.

Glad you're safe, Chris.  And writing!

C

[Merkin]

For shame, Cole.  Without bread or milk, bread pudding would be nothing but raisins.

[Cole Parker]

Bread pudding!  That's something that I remember as being great.  I also can't remember when I last had it.  Two decades at least.

You put rum in that, don't you?

C

[Merkin]

Cole, Cole, Cole.  How many summers will you have to spend in Georgia before you catch on to authentic southern Bread Pudding?  Here is a helping hand for our surfer:

 

Ingredients

• Pudding:
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (Maker’s Mark preferred)
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed day-old French bread
• Cooking spray
   
• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
  1/4 cup Maker’s Mark bourbon

To prepare pudding, preheat oven to 350°.  Combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mixture in a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid.

Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with the pre-soaked raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture. Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours so the bread will take up the liquid.

Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Sauce: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon. Serve each pudding slice warm with a generous tablespoon of sauce.
 

 

[Merkin]

Sorry for the hijack, Mike.  I just remembered this is your forum.  My bad.

 

[dude]

Nah... sounds delicious!

[Cole Parker]

Certainly does!

C

[Chris James]

If I had enough Maker's Mark I wouldn't give a damn about hurricanes. So now that the next one seems to be on the way its time to go shopping. Oh, and thanks for the delicious idea, Merkin.

[colinian]

Thanks for the recipe, James. We don't have any Maker's Mark, but we do have some Remy Martin brandy so I'll follow your recipe and use the brandy.

I love bread pudding.

Colin 

[Pedro]

I used to get given bread and butter pudding at school and thought it horrible. Now I see why. Made with ordinary sliced bread, it had no sauce and none of the interesting ingredients on James list - those measured in spoons - and certainly no booze. (1 tablesoon -that seems like a lot of vanilla? ). The top was passable if it had got crunchy in the oven, the rest was just a slobby mess, probably partly due to not enough eggs.

The Spanish have a version that is basically creme caramel reinforced with bread. Served cold. Delicious, definitely not bread pudding as I knew it.

[Merkin]

The recipe for bread pudding is as I learned it from a cook raised here in the South and the tablespoon of vanilla seems standard around here.  Southerners like things very sweet with flavors very noticeable.  I'm just glad I didn't learn from a more traditional cook who would have used measurements like "dollop" and "splash" instead of spoonsful.  Although even Julia Child liked to call for a splash of booze now and then.

[Joe]

I'll just leave the raisins out; or perhaps substitute with something edible.