Spring at the Farmhouse: Savory Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

Finally... some recipes from my super yummy first ever holiday dinner party. While planning my Easter dinner menu I wanted to make some Spring classics while also including some dishes that represented my cooking style. One of the best dishes I've made and posted here was this past fall with my savory butternut squash bread pudding. It was a super yummy dish, I got great feedback from those who tried making it, and I was even linked to on a very cool blog that gives lots of tutorials on all kinds of different things called Tipnut.com. So, I decided that another, more Springy, bread pudding would make for a perfect side dish to pair with the classic Roasted Spring Leg of Lamb that I planned to make for my main dish.

One of the things I find so exciting about food these days are all the fun twists and turns chefs make. Obviously, bread pudding was a classic sweet dish generally served for dessert. Nowadays though, do a little google search for bread pudding and all kinds of sweet and savory recipes pop up. I found this dish on epicurious.com and with my love of mushrooms (and my moms) I couldn't help but add this to our Easter menu. It was a yummy alternative to plain old dinner rolls and it's a hearty dish so it would make for a really great dinner with a little mixed greens on the side.... whether it be a leftover from a big holiday dinner or made for a low key romantical dinner at home with you and the one you love.

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

4 cups fresh bread crumbs (preferably challah or brioche)
1 1/2 lb fresh mixed wild mushrooms such as criminis, oyster, chantrelles
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups half and half
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated parm

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rach in middle of oven. Bake bread cubes in a single layer in a large shallow baking pan until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Tear or cut mushrooms into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Cook shallot in butter over medium heat in a heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet. Stir occasionally until shallots begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook until liquid that mushrooms release has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together half and half, eggs, cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add mushrooms and bread cubes and stir to combine until bread is well coated. Let stand 10 minutes for bread to absorb egg mixture.

Butter bottom and sides of a baking dish or casserole. Spoon mixture into baking dish and bake until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.

A couple tips:
1. The bread is important! I used challah because that is what my local Whole Foods Market had on hand. Most importantly, you want a soft bread and not a crusty one such as a french bread or baguette.
2. The recipe says to cut mushrooms into 1/4" thick pieces but I really wanted to taste the mushrooms so I made mine a little larger, about 1/2".
3. There are lots of ways you can change up this recipe. Try different bread like whole wheat or a different type of cheese, fontina maybe? Also read reviews that made it a little healthier with substituting olive oil for some of the butter and lowfat milk for some of the half and half. Lots of things to try for the next many times I plan to make this dish!

Recipe adapted from epicurious

Date Night In New Home Style: Liberty Duck Breast with Bread Salad

It's official! The hubs and I are all moved into the farmhouse. We are still getting acquainted with the area but we love love love our house! I'm getting quite comfortable in my new kitchen and to celebrate our new adventure, we enjoyed our first date night in dinner a few weeks ago. You all know my love affair with duck so what better to make for our first farmhouse dinner than a delicious duck recipe from our Cakebread Cellars Cookbook. 

This is a dish I've made once before and it only took that one time to fall head over heels for bread salad. The duck is delicious in this dish because it isn't smothered in sauce. It's merely seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared. The highlight for me is definitely the bread salad. You get a little sweetness from the apples and dried cranberries, a little crunchiness from the perfectly toasted bread, and just the right amount of savory from the duck fat. Overall, it is the perfect marriage of sweet and savory.

This is a very special meal that is one to impress so get out of your sweats and into something a little more romantic, like this...

and enjoy a beautiful night in with the one you love.

Liberty Duck Breast with Dried Cranberry-Apple Bread Salad

2 (6-8 ounce) duck breasts

2 cups dry red wine

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cups crust less sweet french bread crumbs

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1 1/2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup chicken stock

Score the skin on the duck breasts and set aside. 

Combine wine and cranberries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes until berries are plump and moist. 

While berries are sitting, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add the bread and toss to coat evenly. Cook for 5 minutes until lightly browned on all sides, tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Transfer to a large bowl.

Drain cranberries over a small saucepan to catch the wine. Set berries aside. Return wine to a boil over high heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until reduced to about 1/4 cup. 

Add cranberries, pecans, parsley and thyme to bowl with the bread. 

Season duck with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat. Add the duck, skin side down. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook on other side for 3 to 4 minutes until firm. Transfer the duck to a plate and drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Return to high heat. Add apples and cook 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Add to the bread mixture. 

Return skillet to high heat and add the stock. Pour any duck juices that collect on the plate into the skillet. Bring to a boil and scrape the sides and bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits of duck or apple. Cook on a rapid simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until thick. Add to bread salad and toss to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the duck breasts into thin slices. Place a spoonful of the bread salad on the center of the plate. Arrange the sliced duck over the bread salad, spoon a small amount of the reduced wine around the plate and serve.  

Recipe adapted from The Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cookbook

Rory Beca dress from Shopbop

The Great American Road Trip Round 1: My New Home

There were many high points on my road trip but on Wednesday, I finally had the opportunity to check out my new home. We went to the farmhouse for a minute but weren't able to go in so we just took photos outside and checked out the gardens. We did get the chance to stroll around downtown Princeton which is absolutely adorable and luckily, we stumbled upon this, so I think I'll be just fine living there!

Now, I know I promised Memphis style BBQ next but we ended up going to Graceland instead of going for BBQ. BUT to make up for it, a little food highlight from Kingston, NJ... The mama and I found a restaurant just a few short miles from the farmhouse called Eno Terra. It's rustic Italian Mediterranean and was totally delish! I am sure that it will be one of our faves when we live just down the road. Our dinner included a little of this...

4 kinds of bread: sun-dried tomato, rustic sourdough, rosemary, olive

Grilled Tuna on a bed of perfectly roasted tomatoes with eggplant crisps and an eggplant tapenade

Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and grilled over a bed of couscous