Notes from a French Kitchen

by Marie-Christine Perry

Summer has ended and with it the garden’s abundance. The dehydrator has been working full-time, drying the last of the summer bounty: thyme, marjoram, basil, sage and tarragon take turns scenting the air, and I have filled countless recycled Bonne Maman jam jars with their fragrant leaves. They will keep us in herbal tea and add flavor to all kinds of dishes this winter.

The tomato jam, chutney and sauces are lined up on their shelves in the basement, and today I am drying a batch of foraged mushrooms and the last of the peppers from my CSA share, cut into strips for winter chilis and soups.

 Mushrooms have been abundant this year, and my favorite spots have yielded several batches already. I dry Boletus, honey mushroom and Agaricus campestris (also knows as field or meadow mushroom), but my batches of oyster mushrooms I sauté in butter and garlic and freeze. I am still waiting for the rare thrill of finding chanterelles or morels.

Rummaging through the downstairs freezer in search of room for my oyster mushrooms, I rediscovered several chunks of sourdough baguette—the inspiration I need for a batch of bread pudding with caramel sauce, a favorite of my partner Cheryl’s and the perfect foil to tea by the fire pit on these lovely autumn evenings.

For quite a large batch, you need 6 or 7 cups of sourdough bread cut into smallish chunks, 1/2 cup of dried black currants (or raisins), 1/2 cup of dried orange peel (I always keep in my pantry a large quantity of orange peel that I’ve saved and dried), 1/2 cup of melted sweet butter, 4 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, 2 cups of half-and-half and 2 cups of whole milk.

Place the bread cubes in a 9 x 13-inch buttered glass pan, soak the currants and orange peel in Grand Marnier to just cover, and place them, when plump, on top of the bread. Drizzle on the melted butter (do not mix into the bread cubes and currants). Set this aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until broken up and blend in the sugars, nutmeg, vanilla extract, half-and-half and milk. (Do not overbeat this mixture, just combine.) Pour the mixture over the cubes and currants and orange peel and let it all soak in, gently patting the bread down into the milk every now and then. Sprinkle the top with an extra grating of nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the pudding for 50 minutes, checking at about the 40-minute mark that its not getting too brown. If it is, cover loosely with foil. Pudding should be puffy all over and golden.

For the caramel sauce you need 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup evaporated milk and a glou-glou of Grand Marnier. (A glou-glou is a liquid measure used in many French recipes. You just pour from the bottle in one swift movement that will produce the telltale “glou-glou” sound.)

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stir and remove from the heat. Whisk in the salt, vanilla, Grand Marnier and evaporated milk. Et voilà!

The sauce can be made ahead, then warmed in a bain-marie (or microwaved). Cool the pudding to room temperature, cut it into squares and top each square with hot sauce.

This is the perfect holiday dessert, which can also be served with a helping of homemade vanilla ice cream or crème anglaise on festive occasions. It will be my contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Bon appétit!