athena eats

Last night we spent the evening with our close friends celebrating the Jewish holiday, Sukkot - which among other things, is a celebration of the harvest.  This gathering of food and loved ones under the most beautiful of Sukkah, seemed like an ideal evening for my Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding... {I love to tear the bread by hand as opposed to cubing it with a knife - the result is a much more rustic and beautiful looking dish.  Traditionally Challah is always torn and never cut no matter what you are doing with it!}

Recipe:  Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

~ 3 c. heavy cream

~ 1 1/4 c. half & half

~ 1 12 oz. bag of the most sinful semi-sweet chocolate you can find

~ 1 t. cinnamon

~ 1/2 t. cloves

~ 1/8 t. ginger

~ 1/8 t. sea salt

~ 3 whole organic eggs

~ 3 organic egg yolks

~ 1/2 + 2T sugar

~ 1 loaf of semi-stale challah torn into good size pieces

~ vanilla ice cream

Place chocolate in a very large bowl and set aside; whisk eggs, yolks and sugar together in another bowl and set aside.  Heat the heavy cream and half & half together until it just begins to boil.  Keep a close eye on this as you do not want the cream to curdle - whisk it frequently.  When it just begins to bubble, remove from heat and pour over the chocolate - whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.  Begin to temper with the egg mixture {this means add a bit of the egg mixture to the cream/chocolate mixture and whisk together - then add the cream/chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk - then add the remaining egg mixture to the bowl of chocolate again - this prevents the possibility of introducing too hot a liquid to the eggs and thus cooking them - ew!} .  Add the cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt and whisk until everything is well combined.

Add torn bread to the mixture a bit at a time ensuring you are submerging each piece.  Let the bread soak for 20 minutes.  Place in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

{Note:  this is another great dish that can be made ahead for guests - simply let cool for about 30 min. and refrigerate overnight - reheat in a warm (180 degree) oven for 30-40 minutes.}

After several years of our French Press sitting on the shelf {lost the directions in the move from England and could not for the life of me remember how to use it}, I pulled it down this morning, and sought guidance.  I used coarse ground Organic French Roast and a touch of vanilla soy - the result - perfection.

The weather refuses to accept that it is Fall - and though I am aching to pull on my Frye boots and step out into the chill, the Indian Summer allows for a few late season indulgences.  Dinner tonight was one of my favorite {and easiest} summer treats - it is simple, fast and oh so satisfying:  Seared Scallops and Penne.

Recipe:  Seared Scallops and Penne

~2 lbs. sea scallops

~ sea salt and fresh black pepper

~olive oil

~butter {the real stuff}

~2 cloves of chopped garlic

~4c. whole wheat penne

Boil water for pasta salting generously - add penne and cook according to box.  Heavily coat a non-stick pan with olive oil; when thoroughly heated, add garlic and cook until it begins to turn gold - add scallops - salt and pepper once they are in the pan.  Cook about 3-4 minutes per side - they should obtain a golden crust-like surface and become opaque. 

Drain pasta and toss with 3T butter, 1T olive oil and salt and pepper.

Spoon pasta onto your plate, top with seared scallops - be sure to add all the gooey-sticky goodness in the pan to your pasta - garnish with lemon slices...

{strawberry jam on challah, fresh fruit, cappuccino and oj}

Last year my husband and I caught a showing of 'Super Size Me' and it literally changed our lives.  During the challenge and research involved in attempting to move away from processed foods - we came across some alarming facts about high fructose corn syrup.  We began a feverish campaign to rid our fridge and pantry of this genetically modified sweetener - and it was a challenge.  If you are not familiar with the vast use of this product {as I was not} you would be shocked at how commonly it is used - soft drinks and sweet treats are to be expected, but my favorite whole wheat bread?!  It was at that moment that I became a compulsive label reader; and rediscovered the purity of good whole foods - one of my favorite finds was Bonne Maman jams which I had used when we lived in Europe - finding it locally was such a thrill - a simple, but wonderful pleasure that makes my morning toast that much more delightful...

This morning I prepared a very special brunch for my family in honor of my husband.  As we were expecting guests to join us, I wanted to create something that did not require my presence in the kitchen all morning.  While visiting my husband's family in Pittsburgh last month, his mother {who is a wonderful cook} baked a delicious egg strada for breakfast one morning - as they are ideally prepared the night before, this was a perfect choice.  I turned it up a notch with turkey sausage and havarti cheese - the result was an ooeey-gooey delightful dish.

And what is brunch without Mary?  There is something so beautiful about these blood red libations poured into crystal glasses...

Recipe:  Havarti Egg Strada

~Turkey Sausage

~ 1/2 c. white onion

~6 eggs

~2c. milk

~4c. shredded Havarti

~loaf of a dense white bread {organic if possible}; crusts removed and slices buttered

Butter a deep baking dish and set aside.  Brown sausage and onion - set aside.  Gently whip eggs and milk until completely combined. 

To Build:  Create a layer of buttered bread slices {butter side up} in dish.  Top with half of the sausage, then top with 1/3 of the havarti.  Repeat layer.  Add another layer of bread, top with havarti and pour egg mixture over entire dish.  Cover and let set-up overnight.  In the morning, heat the over to 350 and bake for 45 minutes - or until golden and bubbly - enjoy!

... to Athena Eats.  For those of you finding me though my design blog, Athena Says, you may remember my background with the culinary arts.  Cooking and baking have always had a very special place in my heart and I wanted to devote a place to collect my new passion for food photography and my timeless passion for crafting beautiful meals.  I hope to inspire you to find beauty in what you eat everyday... welcome.