RECIPE: BESSIE'S CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

This recipe was shared with me by my good friend and former producer, Jason Burnett. You may remember him from the Homemade podcast. He interviewed me for one of the episodes. Meet Martie: Homemade Podcast Episode 14: Meet Martie Duncan

Bessie was Jason’s beloved grandmother and this is her recipe, with a few tweaks. It is my favorite bread pudding for the holidays; try it and you’ll serve it every year.

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING 

1 large baguette, brioche loaf or other bread like leftover rolls, torn or cut into cubes

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

2/3 cup Craisins or dried cranberries

5 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest

scant pinch kosher salt

1 quart heavy cream (or you can use half and half)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated is best)

 Slice or tear bread into 1" cubes allow to sit out 2 hours.

Pour Grand Marnier over cranberries and allow to soak for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Add eggs and sugar to an extra-large bowl; whisk together well. Add vanilla, zest, salt and cream. Add the dried cranberries plus Grand Marnier. Mix well. Add bread. Allow to soak for an hour, pushing it down into the liquid.  

When ready to bake, butter a large heatproof casserole dish. Check the bread by pulling a cube apart to make sure it is soaked through and not dry in the center. Remove the bread from the liquid, one large spoonful at a time and place into the prepared casserole dish. Once you have added all the bread, pour the liquid over it. Push any exposed cranberries into the bread because they will burn.

Put the dish into the preheated 350˚ F oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until it is set and golden brown. How long you bake it will depend on how deep your dish is. You will need less time if it is a shallow dish.

RECIPE: MARRIAGE PROPOSAL MARINARA SAUCE

Some of you may remember this from Food Network Star…

For one of the episodes, we had to open a pop-up restaurant for guests at New York’s South Street Seaport. My team was challenged with the Italian restaurant. We called it “Littler Italy” and we each had to contribute a dish. Our team won the challenge, which was pretty sweet considering there were Italian chefs on the other teams. The best part of the night came when one of the guests got down on one knee and asked me to marry him saying that he always had known if he found someone who could make marinara better than his Italian mama’s, he would ask her to get married. Although it was a joke, it did make me happy to know he thought this recipe was just that good.

“MARRIAGE PROPOSAL” MARINARA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 large cans (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, including liquid

1 cup fresh whole basil leaves, loosely packed

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (about 1/2 tablespoon dried)

1/2  cup fresh whole oregano leaves, loosely packed (about 1 tablespoon dried)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

big pinch granulated sugar (optional)

½ teaspoon black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

splash Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Use some of the liquid from the tomatoes to deglaze the pan, and then add the remaining ingredients. Use an immersion blender to puree, taking care to leave the tomatoes slightly chunky. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add everything to a blender or food processor)

Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning on the bottom. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour or longer so that the marinara thickens as some of the liquid cooks out. Check seasoning prior to serving. Add salt or a pinch more sugar as necessary.

RECIPE: THE ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE, OATMEAL, AND PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIE RECIPE

Once upon a time, way back in the 70’s, I was playing at a friend’s house and her mom called us to come up to the house for a snack. She had made these chocolate cookies I had never had before… and I never forgot them. When Facebook happened, I became friends with the girl and sent her a message, asking if she had that recipe from way back when. She did… and here it is. I am sure many of you have made and eaten these cookies over the years and they always bring back a lot of memories. They sure do for me. The peanut butter is optional, and you can use smooth or chunky peanut butter. I happen to like it with chunky peanut butter.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER NO BAKE COOKIES

Makes: About 2 dozen cookies depending on the size

Time: About 30 minutes- it takes a while to get to the correct temperature

Note: You need a candy thermometer for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups quick cooking oats

pinch salt

1/2 cup peanut butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk, in a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to boil until it reaches the soft ball stage, which is 235-245 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from the heat. Working quickly, add the oats, vanilla, salt, and peanut butter, if using and mix together. Do not allow it to cool. Drop by teaspoon onto parchment or wax paper. Let cool.

Note: If you do not have a candy thermometer, use the ice water test. Drop a bit of the hot mixture into ice water. If it forms a soft ball, it’s ready.