Boat Street Bread Pudding
12 servings
A quick scan of the ingredients might help you understand why this dessert is such a hit at Erickson's Seattle restaurants.
You can use day-old bread.
MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be made 3 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.
Ingredients
For the bread pudding
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup bourbon, such as Buffalo Trace
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups heavy cream, plus 2 cups for serving
1 large baguette (about 1 pound), torn into 1-inch pieces
For the sauce
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cup bourbon, such as Buffalo Trace
Pinch kosher salt
14 ounces canned sweetened condensed milk
Steps
For the bread pudding: Soak the raisins in the bourbon in a small bowl; let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 1 day. Drain, reserving the bourbon for the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish at hand.
Whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract and salt in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the 4 cups of heavy cream; once that's incorporated, add the bread pieces and drained raisins, making sure that all the bread is coated. Transfer to the baking dish.
Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips); transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 1 hour or until the top layer of bread is nicely browned, the edges are bubbling and the center of the pudding is firm to the touch. Let cool.
For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk in the confectioners' sugar; once the mixture is smooth, add the reserved bourbon (from soaking the raisins) and the 3/4 cup bourbon. Increase the heat to medium; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally; this step will burn off just about all the alcohol.
Add the salt, then whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, stirring for another minute or two until the sauce thickens. Let cool.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Scoop the bread pudding into individual shallow, ovenproof bowls or ramekins. Drizzle each portion with a generous amount of sauce. Place the bowls on a baking sheet; bake for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. Serve right away, topped with an indecent amount (about 1/4 cup) of the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream.
Nutrition | Per serving: 840 calories, 10 g protein, 94 g carbohydrates, 41 g fat, 25 g saturated fat, 185 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 72 g sugar
Celery Root and Celery Leaf Salad
6 to 8 servings
This is a beautiful, unusual-looking salad that earns big points for treating raw celeriac (celery root) as a star ingredient.
It's best to use a mandoline for this recipe.
MAKE AHEAD: The dressed celery root, without the walnuts, can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours in advance; bring to room temperature before serving.
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
Peel of 2 preserved Meyer lemons or regular preserved lemons, homemade or store-bought, cut into julienne (very thin strips)
Scant 1 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
For the salad
3 baseball-size celeriac, peeled (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup walnut halves, toasted (see NOTE)
1 cup picked celery leaves (from the heart of 1 bunch celery)
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
3/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (arils)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon
Steps
For the vinaigrette: Combine the preserved lemon peel, creme fraiche, lemon juice, shallot and poppy seeds in a food processor; pulse until the solids are finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add the oil to form a creamy emulsion. Season lightly with salt. Transfer the dressing to a large bowl.
For the salad: Use a mandoline or sharp knife to shave the celeriac into wide, 1/8-inch thick slices, adding them to the bowl of vinaigrette as you work, and coating them so they don't turn brown. Stir in about three-quarters of the walnuts, crushing some of them with your fingers as you work.
Transfer the mixture to a large platter. Garnish with the remaining walnuts, celery leaves, poppy seeds and pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature, drizzled with oil and garnished with the flaked salt.
NOTE: Toast the nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan as needed to prevent scorching.
Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.
Roasted Carrots and Fennel With Rose Petal Harissa
4 to 6 servings
This terrific roasted vegetable dish, which is served at room temperature, depends on the flavor of its bright, rose-scented harissa. Lime, rose petals and rose water all lend a faint floral finishing note to the taste of the condiment.
Be sure to space the vegetables evenly on the baking sheet; you want them to crisp and brown, not steam.
MAKE AHEAD: The dried chilies for the harissa need to soak for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. The harissa needs to cure in the refrigerator for 1 day before serving; it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months. (You'll have quite a bit left over after you make the carrot-fennel recipe.)
Dried rose petals and rose water are available at Mediterranean markets.
Ingredients
For the harissa
3 ounces dried guajillo chili peppers, stemmed (not seeded)
1 1/2 ounces dried aji amarillo chili peppers (also sold as aji mirasol), stemmed (not seeded)
Just-boiled water
2 1/2 tablespoons caraway seed
2 tablespoons cumin seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
About 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried rose petals (see headnote)
10 to 12 tablespoons lime juice (from 4 to 6 limes), or more as needed
1/4 teaspoon rose water (see headnote)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, or more as needed
For the vegetables
2 bunches medium carrots (6-inch carrots, about 12 ounces), trimmed but not peeled, cut in half lengthwise
2 medium fennel bulbs, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices through the core (core is not discarded)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons crunchy sel gris (gray salt)
Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon or Jacobsen, for finishing
1 1/2 cups plain European-style whole milk yogurt, or Greek yogurt thinned with a bit of olive oil, for serving
Steps
For the harissa: Combine the chili peppers in a medium pot, adding enough of the just-boiled water to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove the pot from the heat and weight the chilies with a smaller pan to ensure they're all submerged. Allow them to sit, covered, for at least 2 hours or until they are soft. (Depending on the chilies, it might not take that long; just make sure the skins are soft.) Drain; reserve the soaking water.
Combine the caraway, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they are toasted and fragrant, and some of them begin to pop. Transfer the spices to a plate to cool.
Once the spices have cooled, transfer them to a food processor; pulse until the spices are ground almost to a powder. Add the garlic and rose petals, and pulse about 10 times to form a dry paste.
Working in two batches, and wearing gloves if you're sensitive to spice, add half of the soaked chilies to the food processor, along with any water that comes along for the ride. Add half of the lime juice and half of the rose water; pulse until the chilies are finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides and top of the food processor bowl as needed. (This might take 3 or 4 minutes total, so be patient. You're looking for the texture of small-curd cottage cheese.) If the mixture seems too thick, add some of the reserved cooking/soaking water, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until the mixture moves easily in the food processor.
Once the chilies are finely chopped, add half of the oil and half of the salt; pulse until well incorporated. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid; repeat with the remaining harissa ingredients, adding the processed mixture to the container.
Taste for seasoning, adding a little more lime juice and salt, as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day before using. To store long-term, scoop the harissa into pint jars, pour a thin layer of oil on top and refrigerate for up to 2 months. The yield is a generous 3 cups.
For the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Arrange the carrots and fennel on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with half of the oil, turning to coat, then sprinkle with the gray salt. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan and turning the vegetables halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and well browned. Allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature.
Combine the remaining oil with 2 or 3 tablespoons (to taste) of the harissa in a large bowl. (If your harissa is especially thick, you might need another tablespoon or two of oil, just so it's thin enough to coat the vegetables.) Add the vegetables, turn to coat them evenly with the harissa mixture, and season lightly with the sea salt.
To serve, smear the yogurt on a serving plate. Pile the vegetables on top and serve at room temperature, drizzled with oil.
Nutrition | Per serving (based on 6, without the yogurt): 90 calories, 2 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 640 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar
