FORGET THE FIG E PUDDING?

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD PUDDING....YUUUUMMMM E

This recipe for Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding will be a great Holiday dessert. 



Ingredients
• 4-6 cups of bread cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces 41% CACAO
Milk Chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 1 16 ounces can dark cherries, drained, reserve cherry juice.
• dark chocolate chunks

Directions

Combine milk, sugar, salt and 41% CACAO Chocolate in a saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Place eggs in a mixing bowl, and pour this milk chocolate mixture over eggs, whisking constantly.
Pour this mixture over bread cubes, stirring to combine.
If resulting bread mixture seems too dry, add a little of the reserved canned cherry juice.
Spread a layer of this bread mixture in the bottom of a buttered baking pan, then layer the drained dark cherries, and then spread the remaining bread mixture on top.
Bake in a water bath for at least 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Sprinkle dark chocolate in with the layer of cherries.

Take this to a Holiday party and it takes less than an hour to make!

No one needs to know you had the recipe.



SHOPPING 4 THE HOLIDAYS......for notions?

I was poking around a site for party favor and gift boxes and not only do they have unique things for weddings, they have gifts that would be great for the Holidays. 

Damask Party Favor Boxes

Great Gifts for $20 and under!

A Wedding Notion.com

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

We love fudge brownies!  The key to anything chocolate is the quality of the chocolate, our choice is El Rey. These are not your average brownies.

If you have a recipe you think we should feature, submit to our chocolate recipe contest.  ENJOY!!

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 7 ounces  Dark 58.8% CACAO Chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans


Icing Ingredients
• 2 T butter
• 5 oz 58.5% CACAO chocolate
• 2 T rum or espresso (we suggest one of each)



Directions

Melt butter and 58.5% CACAO
chocolate in a double broiler, very slowly.
Mix sugar, flour, salt, eggs and vanilla.
Add chocolate mixture and pecans.
Bake in a greased and floured 12x14 pan at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Icing Directions
Melt butter and chocolate in a double broiler, very slowly.
Add rum or espresso.
Icing should be done while chocolate fudge brownies are still hot.

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

CHOCOLATE & CREME BRULEE! WHAAATTTT?!?!?!

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Ingredients

• 5 teaspoon black tea
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 10 cloves
• 3" cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 4 thin slices ginger
• 5 ounces Caoba 41%
Milk Chocolate
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• pinch salt
• 1.5 ounces sugar
• 4 egg yolks

Directions


Lightly grind up all spices and tea in a coffee grinder. Combine this spice mixture with water and bring slowly to a boil to "pre-infuse" chai spice flavor. Cover and remove from heat for a few minutes.
Add milk, cream and pinch of salt to this mixture and return to a boil. Cover and again remove from heat for a few minutes.
Gently whisk yolks with sugar to combine, being careful not to "over-aerate" this mixture. While whisking continuously, pour milk and cream mixture through a strainer and onto yolk mixture. Again, try not to whisk too many air bubbles into this mixture.
Pour onto the bowl of chopped El Rey Caoba 41% Milk Chocolate, stirring gently to combine.
Pour entire mixture through a strainer to remove any bits of un-melted chocolate and pour into molds.
Bake at 250 degrees in a conventional oven with a water bath or at 200 degrees in a convection oven without a water bath until done, at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Some creme brulee tips:
Don't combine yolks and sugar too soon.
Don't whisk vigorously when combining these mixtures, for the bubbles you create will interfere with proper baking.
Pour creme brulee mixture into molds or flexipans from a pitcher.
Remove any bubbles that may rise to the surface by dipping a paper towel onto them or by "burning off" the bubbles with a quick pass of the torch.
Bake on doubled sheet trays

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING, GET OUT OF MY WAY PEOPLE!!!!

Ingredients 


• 14 1/2 ounce Cuban or Italian bread

• 24 ounces  Dark 58.5% Chocolate

• 6 ounces butter, unsalted

• 6 ounces cashews

• 1 cup (7 ounces) black raisins

• 1 cup aged Venezuelan rum

(or Bacardi premium Black)

• 5 cups milk

• 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

• 4 cups Cuban-style espresso

(or any dark espresso)

• 2 tablespoons anise seed

• 8 cinnamon sticks

• 12 whole allspice berries

• 1 pinch of salt

• 10 large eggs

• 4 egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons almond extract



Caramel

Yield = Caramelizes on hotel pan

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar

• 1/2 cup water



Cafe con Leche Sauce

Yield = 30 fluid ounces (Serving per individual portion of pudding about two ounces)

Ingredients:

• 14 fluid ounces of sweetened condensed milk.

• 1 cup Cuban espresso or dark coffee.

• 1/2 cup aged Venezuelan rum

(or Bacardi Premium Black).

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, reduced.

Directions Bread Pudding

Prepare caramel coated hotel pan. Slice bread into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes. Chop chocolate and place into a large bowl with the unsalted butter.
Chop cashews, coarsely. Presoak raisins in a bowl with rum. Set all aside.
Place milk, sweetened condensed milk, espresso, anise seed, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice berries into a pot and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and allow to simmer/steep for approximately 10- 15 minutes.
Strain steeped milk mixture into chopped chocolate. Whisk to combine. Whisk eggs, yolks, vanilla and almond extracts together. Mix warm milk/chocolate mixture with eggs. Whisk eggs/milk/chocolate back into larger chocolate bowl.
Add the cubed bread, soaked raisins, and cashews to custard mixture (about 16 cups of custard mixture.)
Allow to soak for one hour or until the bread has absorbed the liquid. Mash with a fork or potato masher to break large pieces of bread crust. Pour into hotel pan and place into 350¨ oven for 35 minutes.
Note: The custard temperature at the time it is placed in the oven should be about 105. The temperature of the finished product should range between 175-180.
Caramel Yield Directions:
Place sugar and water in saucepan and cook until golden caramel color.
Pour into hotel pan. Allow to set.
Cafe con Leche Sauce Directions:
Mix sweetened condensed milk, espresso and rum and heat in a small saucepan. Do not boil.
Add heavy cream.
Stir and cool to serve.