Bread Pudding
1 lb brioche, challah, or other buttery, eggy bread (Panettone is in stores now and makes awesome bread pudding. Good-quality cinnamon bread is also nice)
1 cup semi-sweet chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
4 large eggs
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
zest of one orange
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the bread into small (less than 1") cubes. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they start to toast and get a little color. They should start to get crisp but not terribly hard--you're not making croutons. Let bread cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, cream, milk, and 2/3 cup sugar. Once well-mixed, add the vanilla, orange zest, almond extract, and cinnamon.
Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the custard over the cubes to soak. Soaking time will depend on the bread you started with and how toasted/dry the cubes are, but plan on it taking at least 30 minute and maybe up to an hour. Toss the bread periodically so it soaks evenly. The bread should absorb most--but not all--of the liquid, and not be hard or dry, but should still hold its shape and not be disintegrating.
Add the chocolate chips to the bowl and toss to distribute. Pour the bread and any remaining custard that hasn't been absorbed into a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, until golden brown and center is set.
Allow to cool until warm, then cut into pieces and serve. Enjoy!
And if you've ever wanted to know what 75 servings of bread pudding looks like while it's soaking, wonder no more:
Roasted Potatoes
3 lbs small red or white-skinned potatoes (no Russets, please, those don't roast nicely)
1/3 cup olive oil
2-3 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cups minced rosemary leaves, preferably fresh (but dried can be substituted)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the potatoes in quarters (or smaller, if the potatoes are large) and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated.
Dump the potatoes on baking sheets (I always cover mine with foil so they don't get gross) and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning. If you have lots of sheets in the oven at once it might take longer to get them brown and crispy.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.
