Comfort Foods and Indulgences

This dish is so good that I had to hold my self back from eating the entire dish. A new Sunday morning favorite has just arrived. I inevitably always have left over Challah.

We start our weekend, each Friday night by celebrating Shabbat dinner. Inevitably, we always have left over challah. Eli usually gets egg in the hole on Saturday mornings, Isaac and Levi like it toasted with a little cinnamon butter smeared on top and sometimes I make croutons or bread crumbs with the left overs.

Last night, I was watching an episode of Nigella Lawson. She was making a caramel croissant bread pudding. Bingo. I was inspired to use up our challah and make something similar for breakfast. I changed it a bit yet I am sure the results are just as good as the original!

It is a cool and rainy Sunday afternoon in Maine and my sister and I have had an empty stomach for months or in other words, too many lunch-free days in a row. We are in need of something steamy and soulful. With a guilt filled summer of cooking way too many lobsters for the myriad of lobster rolls we make, I confess that I threw out every one of those gorgeous, flavor filled shells. Yes, they are composting somewhere but the shells were underutilized by me. I am guilty of being too busy. I had no extra minutes for one more thing to do, though I wished somehow I could have made stock- just once. So, today is the day...

I have a stockpot filled with picked lobster bodies, empty claw and knuckle shells which I have covered with water, along with a cup or two of white wine, a chopped leek to give it a sweet kiss from the South of France, a tablespoon of dried tarragon, several (I used 4, maybe 5) whole cloves of peeled garlic, a touch of sea salt and a chopped large tomato. That’s it! Let it simmer - for an hour at least but no more than two. There is just so much flavor that can be extracted or pulled from the shells and two hours is more than ample.

Wowzer. That's all I can say. Dad is going to love this one! But then again, why wait until Father's Day, have it tonight.

Food Network Magazine had a section on burgers this past month and there were a few I had to try...this was one of them.

The sauce was made with beer, sharp cheddar and horseradish. It is a nice addition to a meaty burger, and the cheese sauce adds some nice complexity.

It has your name on it, you must try it. You could easily make them into sliders as well.

Doughnuts were a Sunday tradition in my house. Everyone sitting around the kitchen table, sipping coffee, reading various sections of the paper, (I usually opted for Parade Magazine) and reaching for a doughnut. Sometimes my sister would arrive with a variety box of Dunkin Donuts, other times it would be store bought Freihofer’s mixed dozen – plain, powdered, and cinnamon sugar (my favorite).

This recipe from ‘The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook’ delivers a near perfect old fashioned country doughnut – crunchy on the outside, moist nutmeg spiced cake on the inside. I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, but they’re great plain, with powdered sugar, or even a chocolate glaze. Make them when you’ve got plenty of friends and family around to enjoy them while they’re warm – they do not store well.