Blueberry Bread Pudding

I got together with friends from Temple Beth Emeth's Sisterhood recently. I love spending time with this great group of women with whom I always have a good time!

The event was a potluck, and there was so much fabulous food!  Croissants, a cinnamon sugar-topped coffee cake, walnut spiral pastries, assorted fruits, a mushroom-cheese frittata casserole, a quinoa and vegetable salad, green salad, pasta salad, watermelon gazpacho, spinach lasagna, cucumber sour cream salad, lemon-glazed cake, and a 4-berry pie ... sigh ... :)

We'd been asked to contribute either breakfast or lunch dishes ... well, we all know where this is going, don't we? What to bring? Which meal? Sweet? Savory? Brain hurts ... ack!

But it turned out that the breakfast options were going to be a bit sparse, so I jumped onto that bandwagon. Whew! I'm always so much better when given direction, rather than being left to my own indecisive devices. (And, of course, there was plenty of food for each meal.  I've joked with friends before that Jewish women never feel there's enough, no matter how full the table is, so there's always way too much ... and everyone always enjoys the bounty!)

So, then I thought about some sort of easily transported casserole. Something that wouldn't be messy, something that was easy to serve, something that just needed to be baked and brought ... bread pudding, one of my very favorite dishes. And since it's blueberry season, what a perfect addition!

And so, croissants were transformed into a creamy, cinnamon-scented treat, with some gorgeous fresh fruit added in, too. Gotta love bread pudding!  And I'm very happy to say that the entire pudding was eaten, not even one serving left ....

Blueberry Bread Pudding

6 cups of cubed day-old croissants (1" cubes)
3/4 cup blueberries
3 large eggs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 10" round baking dish.

Place the cubed croissants and the blueberries into the baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, confectioners' sugar, sugar, vanilla, and half-and-half; pour over the croissants, and let soak for 10 minutes, pressing down on the bread a bit to help it soak up the custard.  Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon and the brown sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until pudding is puffed (it will sink as it cools) and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 servings, and is ideal with either ice cream or whipped cream.

Fabulous Blog Ribbon

I was most surprised recently when my very dear friend Robin, of Your Daily Dose, shared an award with me.  Robin doesn't post as often as her faithful followers would like her to; but when she pops up to offer her thoughts, they are inevitably wise, witty, and wonderful.  If you haven't met her yet, you need to go visit.

Of course, being given this award then gives me actual work to do, rather than merely blathering about a batch of cookies or some pizza!  But it's also fun, because I get to divert onto different tangents, sorta - you'll see that I'm still a food obsessive, with the subject creeping in no matter what - and talk about topics beyond my cooking and eating passions.

So, here's the scoop:

1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Name 5 of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.
3. Name 5 things you love.
4. Name 5 things you hate.
5. Pass the ribbon on to 5 other bloggers.

Alrighty, here goes:

Rules:

Done (see above).

Fabulous Moments:

1. I was petrified, terrified, horrified, and every other kind of -fied before speaking at the Sisterhood's DAMES Dinner at Temple Beth Emeth this past December, as I love to write but I'm not a natural public speaker; this was my very first and, so far, only such gig.  But everyone was so wonderful and welcoming that I felt very comfortable giving my shpiel - I was clearly among friends.  (I joined the Sisterhood that night, becoming a member, because I had such a grand time with these amazing women!)  There was a fabulous meal, and they presented me with some lovely gifts - all in pink, no less.  And I was thrilled beyond my usually verbose abilities to express myself when I received a note card afterwards, saying "Thanks again for your wonderful program - people said it was the best DAMES we've had!"

2. When I went back to visit Jeremy after he'd had a medical procedure recently, the nurse offered me a seat and then asked with complete sincerity, "Are you the wife?"  Jeremy giggled, despite being groggy, so it was a good moment for both of us.  I told him "I hope you're conscious enough to remember this later on!"  Jeremy is 21; I'm pushin' 50, with dread of my birthday already looming although it's not 'til December.  Oh, yes, this was a fabulous moment!  (Jeremy was fine, by the way, and thankfully passed inspection.)

3. My less-than-15 minutes of fame presenting Special Mocha Cupcakes on The CBS Early Show after they won the grand prize in Taste of Home magazine's Cupcake Challenge. (You can watch the video here.)  Jeremy and I were dined - but not wined - in New York City, chauffeured around town, and treated like Cinderella at the ball with the Prince Consort.  (FYI: Taste of Home changed the name from Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes ... kinda says it all, doesn't it???)

4. One of my "bubbes" ([BUH-beez] = Yiddish for "grandmother") - the older women at the synagogue who've adopted me, whom I adore - asked me a few years ago, "So, Mary, have you converted yet?"  "No, Sarah, I haven't.  I'm still thinking about it, though."  "That's okay," she responded with the sweetest, brightest smile.  "We love you anyway."

5. I received the most poignant email after my Valentine's Day post giving a recipe for "Brownie in a Mug," a one-person treat for those spending the day alone and - more importantly - for those who had suffered the loss of the one they'd have ordinarily celebrated that day with:  "Dear Mary, It's been a really hard week.  My boyfriend's mother died suddenly on Monday and the idea of Valentine's Day was repulsive.  She was her husband's whole world; they were sweethearts forever.  I started reading your article 'Brownie in a Mug' about flowers and candy ... I was really ticked off.  I hit the end of the second paragraph and took a sigh of relief.  No one ever thinks of the people that have lost the love of their life.  No one thinks about all those people that will be alone on Valentine's Day.  You thought of them!!!  Thank you so very much!"

Things I Love:

1. Jeremy (not a thing, obviously, but ...!)

2. Chocolate cake.  Carrot cake.  Oh, let's just say it - CAKE!  And cookies.  And brownies.  And pie.  And frosting.  And ice cream.  Sweets.  Let's just cut to the chase and say "sweets."

3. Learning languages.  I was once fluent in French - to the point of even thinking en français - though I'm now living proof of the adage "Use it or lose it."  I've studied Latin, Russian, and Italian.  I can also read Hebrew letters (with the vowels, anyway, which - like batteries - aren't always included), and I can sound out words even if I don't know what they mean.  I would like to learn Yiddish, which is such a colorful and expressive language!  But I really wish I could actually speak Italian rather than just pronouncing it fairly well and being an excellent menu translator.

4. Having a free Sunday to putter around, linger over my coffee, read The New York Times and do the crossword puzzle (though I don't subscribe anymore, since I don't have time to read it), cook, bake, catch up on household stuff, and still be in my jammies in the middle of the afternoon because I've had no obligations requiring more formal wear.

5. Random moments of bliss - sitting in the sunshine when it's not too hot and a slight breeze is blowing, an unexpected compliment, finding a lucky penny, when a favorite song is played (at the Ann Arbor Art Fair one time, local station 107one was broadcasting live and played Roxy Music's "More Than This" even though the band is never in any radio station's regular rotation), when a new recipe idea works out perfectly on the first try, meeting up with friends and losing track of time because you're having so much fun, eating fresh doughnuts at the cider mill, hearing babies laugh, going to a thrift shop and finding a $5 dress that was apparently tailored just for you ....

Things I Hate:

1. People who have no ability or willingness to see beyond their own narcissistic selves and acknowledge that others have needs of their own.

2. Picky eaters - people who can't just eat whatever's put in front of them (with exceptions for health and religion, of course).  I am especially irked by those who expect others to cater to their whims as though it's an entitlement, instead of being gracious and accommodating (see item #1 - people who have no ability or willingness ...).

3. Our entire nauseating political process that is deceitful, corrupt, wasteful, unproductive, spiteful, and generally miserable and intolerable.  (Gee, do I seem a bit wishy-washy about that???)  I wish I could just wait for the election to be over in November; but the very next day, the nonsense begins again for the next primary season two years later.  It is constant and interminable.  And every time I see a postcard tucked into my door, watch an ad on television, or see confetti and balloons dropping, I wonder how many hungry children could have been fed with that money, how many homeless people could have been housed, how many uninsured patients could have received necessary medical care ....

4. Listening to NPR, because I can't endure the droning monotones that seem to be a requirement for employment there, not to mention the morning weather reports that are given seemingly every 13 seconds.  I look up the website and read the stories instead.

5. Sushi and kimchi (the former only looking good if you compare it to the latter, but neither wins a crown at my pageant).  I don't like the taste or the papery texture of nori, I prefer not to eat refined carbs (i.e.: sticky rice) unless they're in the form of dessert, and I want my fish cooked; there is nothing redeeming in sushi, such that I could even pick it apart and nibble at it.  And the stench of kimchi is so horrific that I can't even be near someone who's eating it without wanting to flee; it is truly nauseating.  In college, a fellow dorm resident used to make kimchi in his room; there are no words to adequately describe the revolting fumes produced as the cabbage fermented!  To say that the odor resembled that of sewage would be an insult to rotting garbage.

Five Fabulous Bloggers:

Women whom I'd love to sit and chat with over a cup of coffee, who put up great recipes, who give lots of excellent information and/or instruction, who share their lives and their passions, and who tell great stories:

1. Bibi of Bibi's Culinary Journey

2. Debra of Housewife Eclectic

3. Jenn of Jenn's Food Journey

4. Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog

5. Judy of Cranberry Morning

The Glass Pavilion at The Toledo Museum of Art

My friends from Temple Beth Emeth's Sisterhood recently went on a Sunday afternoon excursion to the Glass Pavilion at The Toledo Museum of Art.  As much as I love art, museums, the women of Sisterhood, and lunch (which preceded our docent-led tour) ...  well, how could I refuse coming along on such a fabulous trip???

I rode with Ruth, Andy and Helaine, who were wonderful companions!  And once we arrived at the museum, we met up with the other 8 members of our group for a lovely lunch in the Cafe.  While many institutions are aware that they have a captive audience in need of sustenance and thus serve less-than-stellar items at exorbitant prices, this menu was filled with wonderful dishes: Italian Chicken Soup and Wholegrain Mustard Chicken Salad (my lunch, pictured above), Smoked Turkey and Brie Wrap with Drunken Fruit, House Smoked Pork and Lentil Salad with Dried Cherries, Oven Roasted Mushroom and Arugula Salad with Crumbled Amish Blue Cheese, and Poached Salmon BLT on Rye with Green Onion Aioli, just to name a few options.  And beautiful glass vases filled with tulips awaited at our table.

After lunch, we walked across from the main building to the Glass Pavilion, an award-winning building that is truly glorious - spacious and filled with light.  We were greeted in the foyer first by a charming host, and then by a gorgeous piece by the artist Dale Chihuly.  This is half of the Campiello del Remer Chandelier #2, one of 14 works Chihuly designed in conjunction with glass workers from the Waterford Crystal Factory for "Chihuly Over Venice" in 1996.  Chihuly subsequently split one of the chandeliers after the installation in Italy, giving one portion to the Kemper Museum in Kansas City while the other came to Toledo.  He and his team rearranged the 243 individual pieces - each with its own intricate cuts - to make the artwork unique to its location.

Our tour was led by the warm and wonderful Brenda Sweeney, who was exceptionally knowledgeable and specifically pointed out some pieces in the collection which had distinctly Jewish history.  She was so sweet that at the end of our visit, Sonny - a 90-year-old Sisterhood dynamo with a radiant smile - even invited her to come up to services at the Temple some time!  They became fast friends.

In the Modern and Contemporary collection, there were some extraordinary pieces, such as the colorful wall-mounted "Vitrana" by Dominick Labino.

But you know my attention was immediately drawn to this charming work by Emily Brock, entitled "The Counterman Diner."   Just look at the minute details, from the straws in a glass to the salt and pepper shakers, from the spatula on the stovetop to ice cubes that fell onto the counter.

In a gallery dedicated to decorative serving pieces, we found this gorgeous vase, created by Norwegian Marius Hammer, who was a contemporary of Fabergé.  However, because of its small size - slightly taller than a champagne flute - there was a consensus that it would make a gorgeous Miriam's Cup at a Passover Seder.

The last piece we saw was so beautiful and extraordinary!  This is "Dress Impression with Train" by Karen LaMonte, who "(probes) the disparity between our natural skin and our social skin, clothing which we use to obscure and conceal, to protect the individual and project a persona."  One of the guards came up to our group to tell us that the process of creating this work involved a live model, 5 hours of body casting, and 24 cans of hair spray to firm up the draped clothing sufficiently for molding.  There is a very clear human form within the fragile glass, and a lovely sense of movement and fluidity despite the solidity of the piece.

Toledo became known as "Glass City" after the  Libbey Glass Company moved there in 1888 and other manufacturers then began working in the area, too.  So it was most fitting that the museum would have an entire pavilion dedicated to the astounding variety of pieces - from ancient bottles to contemporary punch bowls, from painted mirrors to decorative sculptures - displaying the fascinating history and potential of the medium.  If you're ever in the Toledo vicinity, I so highly recommend a visit to this extraordinary place!

After our tour, Ruth, Andy, Helaine and I took a side trip to the Libbey outlet store at Ruth's very wise suggestion, and we were amazed by the array of dishes, glasses, serving ware, and more!  I, of course, saw everything in terms of photo ops; so you'll soon find my red, yellow, and white dishes, not to mention some very simple but festive polka dotted glassware, making appearances here on ye olde blog to serve lots of tasty treats.

The white bowl that my soup was served in at the museum is just one of Libbey's distinctive designs.  I was sorely tempted to buy a few of them, as well as many, many other items ... maybe on another trip.  Yes, there will have to be another trip!  We've already talked about it, since we had so much fun on this adventure.  More glassware, Tony Packo's famous hot dogs and relishes, the Handel's ice cream that another car of Sisterhood members enjoyed while our group was shopping for dishes ... so much more fun - and food! - awaits ... :)

The Brisket Bake-Off

I recently had the enormous good fortune to judge the Sisterhood's 3rd Annual Brisket Bake-Off at Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor's Reform synagogue, at which I probably ate four days' worth of food - really, I'm not exaggerating!

Remember, there's always a lot of food at Jewish events, because everyone is afraid there will never be enough.  And we all know that while other people are social drinkers, I'm a social eater - I'll happily and heartily sample everything when I'm at a party, a buffet, or other gathering ... I'll often sample multiple times, too!  So I'd known that there was no need for me to cook a corned beef on St. Paddy's Day, because I would be feasting on brisket and many other dishes that evening.

I was one of three judges to sample 10 different briskets that had fame, prizes, and pride all riding on them.  My compatriots - Justin Hiller, of Hiller's Markets, and Lisa Saulles, who won top honors last year and thus earned her spot at the judges' table - and I all sat in front of the expectant audience.

After being introduced by charming emcee Jesse Bernstein, we were presented with samples of each brisket, one at a time, and asked to rate them on a scale of 1-5 (low-to-high) for aroma, appearance, texture, flavor and the all-important "Jewish Factor."

There were very traditional offerings, some prepared with Lipton onion soup mix - the classic that everyone remembers from childhood.  There were unique and updated entries, featuring olives or oranges or dates.  There were several that rounded out the dish with potatoes or yams or carrots.  I was truly impressed with the variety of flavors that had been offered to me, as well as the respect for tradition that was still clearly in evidence while each dish was given a personal flair.

Brisket, as you may or may not know, is a very serious business in the Jewish community - reputations are staked upon it!  It is as essential to be able to make a good brisket as it is to make matzah balls that will float, rather than sink, in chicken soup.  And I must note that each of the 10 samples was fork-tender; when given an opportunity to comment on the tasting, I noted that I had not once picked up my knife.

So there was significant anticipation as the votes were being tallied, and great joy when the winners were announced:

1st Place: Liz Wierba (who won in 2010, as well)
2nd Place: Sally Brieloff
3rd Place: Jennie Lieberman
4th Place: Susan and David Gitterman

(I apologize that I didn't get to the buffet table with my camera until after everyone had eaten; so I don't have a grand and glorious photo of each entry or of the winners' dishes, or even a definite idea whose fabulous offering is pictured above.  But I spent 13 years in Catholic schools and am essentially a secular Jew - trust that I'm suffering more than sufficient guilt for my lapse!)

And then, because 10 samples - just one bite each, but still 10! - of brisket apparently wasn't enough, there was dinner.  My friend Elaine once told me that, for someone who obsesses about food as I do, I "should have a little more schmaltz on (my) bones."  Well, I've got plenty of witnesses to attest to the amount I ate at this party, so I won't wither away any time soon!

It was a fabulous meal, offering a buffet filled with salad, green beans, a lentil-barley salad, and kasha varnishkes (a classic Jewish buckwheat and bow tie pasta dish that I adore).  Colcannon - an Irish mashed potato and cabbage dish which I also love dearly - was served in honor of St. Paddy's Day, and was a perfect brisket accompaniment because its primary ingredients are also integral to Jewish cuisine.

At the end of the long buffet table, there were 11 briskets - one extra had been provided by Hillary Handwerger, cheerfully genial hostess and one of the event organizers, because, as I mentioned before, there's always the fear that there won't be enough food!

Everyone, of course, wanted to taste the winning entries.  I had planned to simply satisfy myself with vegetables and dessert, having already eaten well during the judging.  But I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by snubbing them, and I didn't want folks thinking that I was "brisket-ed out."  I didn't want people watching as I preferred one option and neglected another; and really, I don't know how I would have selected only a few tastes, given how much I truly enjoyed everything.

So after the first round of vegetables and side dishes, I took small samples of each of the 11 briskets - my second plate was filled - and I enjoyed it all immensely, much moreso when I could really relish the individual qualities and flavors without having to think intently about specific criteria.  Truly, I didn't need to eat again until the next afternoon.

But there was a piece of rich, moist, decadent chocolate cake calling to me, insisting that it needed to accompany my after-dinner coffee.  I succumbed to its charms.  Remember, a Food Floozie can be seduced by virtually any food ....

As though all of this schmoozing and noshing hadn't provided sufficient entertainment, there was also an amazing concert in the Sanctuary to conclude the evening.  Balkano (rhymes with "volcano"), according to its own website, "is a Chicago-based sextet that melds the soul of traditional Klezmer, the energy of Bulgarian wedding music, and the melodies of Turkish Gypsy music into an exciting original mix."  Its lead singer is Ann Arbor's and the temple's own Diana Lawrence, and the group put on a powerful, emotional, vibrant performance.

I'm very happy to say that 3% of the Bake-Off's proceeds were donated to Mazon [mah-ZOHN], "a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds."  (Mazon means "food/sustenance" in Hebrew.)  Profits remaining after this donation were dedicated to the YES Fund (Youth, Education, and Special Projects), which "represents the collective financial efforts of our member sisterhoods and donors to strengthen the institutions of our ... Movement and ensure the future of Reform Judaism."

So, you can see that I had an exceptionally wonderful evening with the Sisterhood and the members of Temple Beth Emeth!  Congratulations to the winners and many, many thanks to everyone who put the event together and who spent so many hours lovingly preparing brisket and all the other dishes.  I was thrilled to be invited to the party, and to have such an important role at the Bake-Off.

I'm already anticipating next year's event, and all the great food that awaits.  I may even be hungry again by that time ... :)

For today's recipe - Miriam Shaw's Easy Braised Brisket, one of the Bake-Off entries - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....