The Best of 2011

Difficult to believe we're coming to the end of another great year.  As it gets to be this time, we always find ourselves looking back, reflecting, and planning for what's ahead -- and that includes content for the blog.

We were overwhelmed this year as we looked over our blog stats for the year and realized how much we've grown. Despite the fact that we've been busier than ever (and that has been reflected in the frequency of our posts, particularly lately), we've more than doubled our readership from 2010 to 2011.

We'd like to thank you for your readership, your comments, and your feedback.  Burp! wouldn't couldn't exist without you!

As a thanks to all of you, we figured we'd share the top 11 posts on Burp! from 2011 (in order of popularity) ... just in case you missed them.

Top 11 Posts of 2011
These are in order of popularity, # 1 being the most popular post.

1. Stout Ice Cream with Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce: Pure Guinness, er, Genius
2. Nettle & Garlic Ravioli with Rosemary Browned Butter
3. Stinging Nettle & Garlic Puree: Putting Up a Bit of Spring
4. Wisconsin State Fair: Door County Cherry Chutney
5. Pickled Red Onions: Summer's Prize & Winter's Bounty
6. Soul Food Fusion: Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich
7. Milwaukee Mardi Gras, Part II: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
8. Spring Scallop Tacos with Strawberry Salsa
9. Going Whole Hog: Our Experience in Pig Butchering Class
10. Brown Butter Rhubarb Bars - the best & last of spring
11. You're Not Too Old for Crispy Rice Bars with Browned Butter & Rosemary

Share in the Comments

As always, we're always listening and open to your feedback.  What was YOUR favorite post? What would you like to see more of in 2012?

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Milwaukee Mardi Gras, Part II: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

If you thought we were done celebrating... well, you've got another thing comin'.   Those amazing langostinos & grits were just the main course. Now we're moving on to dessert!

Yeah, I said dessert.  And I meant it.


I'm a big fan of bread pudding.  First -- although I know that not everyone would agree -- in my world there are no bad bread puddings.  There are good bread puddings.  And better bread puddings.  And then there are the best bread puddings.

The best bread puddings are rich and custardy.  They're made with light, fluffy bread that puffs up like a souffle as it finishes cooking.  Best of all, these bread puddings have a lovely hard sauce poured over them.  Usually, the sauce is made with bourbon or whiskey.  But, I've been persuaded by decadent rum sauces, and even the occasional sauce made with brandy. The fact is, sauce is important. Even a so-so pudding can be transformed into something far more palatable if you pair it with the proper sauce.

So... when I decided to get a little creative with bread pudding for this year's Mardi Gras dinner, I figured there was very little risk involved.

This particular variation is an an adaptation of that famous New Orleans dessert, Bananas Foster, crossed with another Southern classic, bread pudding.   This is a custard-style bread pudding, which means it's tender and moist, and loaded with milk and eggs.  It's also studded with a double dose of banana goodness -- pureed banana in the custard base, and sliced bananas layered between each decadent custard soaked bread layer.   (Not so secretly, I think this particular bread pudding would be more than appropriate to eat for breakfast...  it's got both eggs and fruit in it after all...)

The best part of all is (of course) the sauce, which is absolutely swoon-worthy and really makes this dish feel like dessert.  It's made from a generous portion of high quality dark rum, sweet brown sugar, a splash of cream, and a pinch of cinnamon.  And it's easier than sin to make.  So, there will be no excuses for not going through the motions of making it.

Heck, even if you're not a bread pudding fan, make the sauce.  It would be awesome poured over a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Mardi Gras: Christmas Past Bread Pudding

When Mardi Gras is upon us, I usually reach for my trusty jambalaya recipe. After all, it's February and we can use some nice spicy fare to warm us up. But, this year, I decided to opt for something on the sweeter side of things.

I happened to have a loaf of homemade stollen in the freezer. It was a loaf that we didn't have time to eat around the holidays, so it sat around on the counter getting stale. Before we realized it, the bread was dry and relatively unpleasant. But, we don't like to waste food. So, we wrapped it tightly in aluminum foil and tossed it into the freezer. Yes, there was a good chance it would get lost in there and never been seen again; but, there was also a pretty good chance that I'd find a use for it later.

Looks like later came earlier than expected.

I took the bread and diced it up (frosting and all), and threw it in the biggest bowl I could find.
I was feeling like a little bit of extra effort might be nice, so I threw a few cups of milk together with a scraped vanilla bean, and let that steep for a few minutes over medium heat.
I also poured some warmed whiskey over a 1/2 cup or so of raisins -- to plump them up and make them into little boozy flavor vehicles.
I whipped up a few eggs with some sugar and put them into the bowl with the bread, stirring so that the bread was evenly coated. I tossed the raisens in as well, with the residual whisky for good measure. When the milk & vanilla was steeped, I poured that over the top of everything and let it sit to soak for a few minutes before I poured it all into a greased baking dish. At that point, it looked something like this.
I like making my bread pudding bain marie style -- so I plopped the baking dish into one of my deeper baking pans, and poured in a few cups of boiling water.
Then, I closed the door and let the pudding bake for about an hour or so until the pudding was set and the top was nice and browned.
If I'm honest, I'll admit that I look forward to bread pudding more for the bourbon sauce than for the pudding itself. But, this particular batch of pudding didn't need it; it was moist and tender, and the frosting from the stollen offered bursts of sweetness in many of the nooks and crannies. We opted instead to sprinkle the warm pudding with a bit of whiskey and call it good.
If you have time for a bit of dessert after your Fat Tuesday feasting, maybe think about whipping up a batch of bread pudding. Here's my usual recipe.

Bread Pudding

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!


©BURP! Where Food Happens