June | 2014 | highmadefood.com

¼ C olive oil

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

¼ C tomato paste

½ c dry white wine

1 C sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

4 bay leaves

2 t dried thyme

2 t dried oregano

½ t fennel seeds

1 t red pepper flakes

1 pound northern beans, rinsed and soaked for several hours or overnight

8 C chicken stock

1 – 5 ounce container of baby kale

In a preheated soup pot, add oil and rosemary sprigs. Allow rosemary to gently simmer while it flavors the oil. Once leaves start to look a little dry, add onion and garlic. Add a spritz of salt and fresh cracked pepper. Continue to sauté until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste and continue to sauté. You want the paste to deepen in color. Some brown bits on the bottom of the pan are desirable. BROWN = FLAVOR, I once heard someone say. Good. Careful not to burn the paste, but allow enough time for deeper color to develop. Natural sugars are being extracted. This step renders a great deal of flavor. Don’t be in a hurry! Once you have sufficient brown bits, add your wine for deglazing. Allow the wine to evaporate creating a nice thick sauce. See the picture! The addition of the wine adds a nice acidic element too. At this point, the remainder of the ingredients, except the kale, can be added. Bring soup to a boil and reduce heat and cover pot and allow soup to simmer for several hours. Obviously, tender beans are the goal. The cooking time can vary depending on how long you soak the beans and also how old the beans are. (We once cooked some garbanzo beans for days, it seemed, and they still were not tender.) Prior to serving, add kale and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thick, add more stock. Serve with freshly grated parmesan, chopped parsley, and a drizzle of EVOO. A nice crusty crostini is great for dipping.

I added some grilled chicken and apple sausage to the soup.

Most soups benefit from an overnight stay in your fridge. Flavors fully develop and blossom. Plan ahead. Better flavor results, in most cases, when you give soup a chance to rest.

Also, hopefully no one is using an aluminum soup pot. Acidic elements can yield undesirable tastes when you are cooking with aluminum. Stainless is the ticket.

(makes 16 portions)

12 large croissants, torn into small pieces

1 and 1/3 C sugar

2/3 C flour

2 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 C diced apricots

1 C white chocolate chips

8 eggs

4 t vanilla

2 T brandy

Zest of 1 orange

4 C half and half

2 sticks butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add diced apricots and white chocolate chips. Whisk to combine making sure that apricots are not clumping together. Add croissant pieces to the flour mix and stir to combine. Hands work well here too. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, brandy and orange zest. Whisk well. Add half and half to the egg mixture and whisk again to fully blend. Pour egg mixture over the croissant mix. Pour melted butter into the bowl and get your hands dirty – squeezing and mixing the batter really well. Sometimes your impeccably clean hands are the best tools for getting the job done. Press plastic wrap directly on top of the batter and store in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 hours. Preparing the batter a day ahead is best. Portion the batter into soufflé cups that have been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. I used an 8 ounce soufflé cup. Place soufflé cups on a cookie sheet and place into a 350 degree preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate and bake for an additional 20 -25 minutes more. The tops should be golden brown in color. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow bread pudding to fully cool before removing from the cups. For serving, rewarm in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. Spoon warm bourbon sauce over bread pudding and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. For many customers, this is their favorite bread pudding of all!

This recipe can be cut in half.