Ingredients

1 can (15 ounces) coconut milk
¹/₂ cup almond milk
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
¹/₂ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon, freshly grated
2 teaspoons nutemg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups day old bread, cubed about 1¹/₂ inch thick
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Powder sugar

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Grease 12 ramekins. In a large bowl whisk together the coconut milk, almond milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices until smooth. Mix in the bread and the chocolate. Place the mixture in greased ramekins. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned. Remove from oven and take out of ramekins while warm by cutting around the mold and turning upside down onto a small plate. Dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Ingredients

1 English cucumber
1 jar of Marmite or Vegemite
1 stick of good, unsalted butter (such as Plugra)
1 loaf of Brioche (or any fine-crumb white) bread, thinly sliced & crusts removed

Directions

Slice the cucumber very thinly on a mandolin. Spread butter onto four slices of the bread. Thinly spread Marmite onto four more slices of the bread. Shingle the cucumber slices on the buttered bread slices, so the overlap. Top each sandwich base with the Marmite-coated slices, pressing firmly. Cut each sandwich into four equal squares. Serve.

Recipe by Emily Casey

Ingredients

Directions

Mix flour and salt well. Make a hole in flour and mix in a little water at a time while trying to form dough. Add little water at a time to ensure the dough consistency does not get too soft or sticky. You can always add more flour to thicken the mixture. Knead for five minutes, cover with wet cloth and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll out flour into a small log and portion 12 small rounds. Heat a flat pan, nonstick pan, until hot OR tortilla press work too. Roll out 1/2 a handful of dough into a flat round shape (3mm thick) and put into pan, cooking for 1 minute either side. Once turned press gently with a towel, until brown. Keep warm.

*Recipe Property of Palak Patel

Ingredients

Directions

Make sponge

In a small bowl stir together yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl, stir together yeast mixture, room-temperature water, and flour and stir 4 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.

Make bread

In a small bowl, stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl of a blender, blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour and combine with wooden spoon. Add salt and mix. Turn out dough from bowl on floured surface and knead until soft, about 10 minutes. Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.)

Have ready a rimless baking sheet and 2 well-floured 12-by-6-inch sheets parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone or 4 to 6 unglazed “quarry” tiles (see note, above) arranged close together on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up for edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone or tiles in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. With a large spatula transfer loaves to a rack to cool

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 yellow bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 medium red onions, quartered and roasted
9 cloves garlic, roasted
20 cherry tomatoes yellow and red, roasted lightly
2 cans artichoke hearts, halved
1 cup back brine cured olives
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves, halved
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Maldon salt
Crusty Italian Bread

Directions

Arrange all the vegetables on a platter, top with olives. In a small bowl whisk together herbs, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, and olive oil. Drizzle a top the antipasto and season with salt! Serve over crusty bread.

Wine Pairing: Rose D’Anjou

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the Camembert from its packaging, pierce the top of the cheese with a sharp knife, then stuff the incisions with the garlic and thyme sprigs. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the cheese in parchment paper like a present and place on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about ten minutes, to melt the cheese.

To make garlic toasts:

Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes, while the cheese is baking. Remove the toasts and lightly scrape each one on one side with a clove of raw garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

To make the grapes:

Turn the oven to broil 500 degrees F (when you are finished baking the cheese or before). Place cleaned grapes on a greased baking sheet, and sprinkle the thyme leaves over the grapes. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, turning the grapes with a spatula to coat evenly. Broil in oven until grapes start to “pop” and get slightly charred. Cool slightly before serving with cheese and toast.

Ingredients

Hearty, crusty whole grain bread, sliced
½ cup of either almond butter or peanut butter, chunky
2 bananas sliced lengthwise
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon canola oil
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat Panini grill (or you could use a grill pan with a heavy skillet as a weight). Spray the cooking surface. Brush one side of bread with oil, and place side down on grill. Spoon on nut butter, lay down bananas, and drizzle with honey. Place oiled bread on top, and press sandwich. If using a skillet, flip after about 3-4 minutes. Slice Paninis in ½ and store in a ziplock bag for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 yellow bell peppers, roasted & peeled
2 medium red onions, quartered and roasted
9 cloves garlic, roasted
20 cherry tomatoes yellow and red, roasted lightly
2 cans artichoke hearts, halved
1 cup black brine cured olives
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves, halved
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Maldon salt
Crusty Italian Bread

Directions

Arrange all the vegetables on a platter, top with olives. In a small bowl whisk together herbs, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, and olive oil. Drizzle a top the antipasto and season with salt! Serve over crusty bread.

This quick and easy dish has its origins in Naples and originated as a means to use up leftover sauce at breakfast time. The eggs are essentially cooked in the tomato sauce, hence the purgatory! Many cultures all over the world utilize this Italian idea, this recipe has more of the Middle Eastern influences that we see in shakshuka, which is originally and Israeli version of eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce!

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 green or red chilies (as spicy as you want your dish to be, use mild chilies for no heat)
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
¼ cup green onions, sliced thin
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon smoky paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Warm pita or bread for serving

Directions

In a large sauté pan with raised edges at least 3 inches, heat olive oil about 4 tablespoons on a moderate high heat. Add chilies, onions, garlic, and sauté until onions are beginning to caramelize and char or about 5-7 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir well. Pour in the canned tomatoes and break apart with your hands as you add them in. Stir well and cook down about 10 minutes or until all mixture is juicy and tomato saucy. Turn burner to a moderately low heat and make sure the tomato sauce is even throughout the pan. Crack the eggs one by one, making sure not to disturb the yoke, and making sure the eggs are all over the pan. Poach the eggs, basting them with tomato sauce from the pan using a spoon. The eggs should be done in about 4 minutes, if you would like the yolks more done, place more tomato mixture atop the yolks (carefully) and cook for about 6 minutes.) Remove from heat and sprinkle with the feta and the herbs! Serve with warm pita or bread.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons bacon fat, lard, or butter
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2½ cups fine cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt fat in large cast-iron skillet; cool slightly. Beat eggs until light. Add buttermilk and cooled fat, leaving a little fat in the skillet. Keep skillet warm. Separately, mix together cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add cornmeal and mix until smooth. Pour batter into hot skillet, place skillet in oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cornbread comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from “Southern Cooking” by Mrs. S. R. Dull