Gourmet Foods

• 8 slices stale white bread
• 3 ½ cups milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup sherry
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup seedless raisins

Cut the bread into small cubes (this should be about 2 cups). Scald the milk and add the butter; pour over the bread cubes. Let soak for 10 minutes, then blend in sugar, eggs, sherry, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and raisins. Pour into a 1 ½ quart buttered baking dish and place in a pan of hot water.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6.

Cook the rice in the salted water for 15 minutes. Drain, then add the milk.

Beat the eggs, and then add the sugar, vanilla, raisins, butter and rice mixture. Pour into a 2 quart casserole; place in a pan of water.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Stir and sprinkle with nutmeg. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake 1 hour longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold. Serves 6 to 8.

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 package vanilla instant pudding
• 2 egg whites

In a small saucepan, place 1 cup of milk, sprinkle with gelatin over milk and heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring. Stir together remaining milk and pudding in a mixing bowl; add gelatin mixture and beat. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold in pudding. Turn into a mold. Chill and set.

One cup custard cups work well for baking the puddings. Cake flour may be substituted for the rice flour. The ground almonds can be omitted for a smooth textured pudding.

• 1 pound (good quality) bittersweet or dark chocolate, divided
• ¼ cup hot espresso or good strong coffee
• 9 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Generous ½ cup finely ground almonds 3/4 cup rice flour
• 6 eggs, separated, at room temperature

1. In a saucepan, melt 4.5 ounces of the chocolate with the coffee. Pour into six small ice cube molds and freeze 20 to 30 minutes, until hard.
2. Grease six 1 cup oven safe cups or molds with the butter. Place in the fridge while preparing the pudding mixture.
3. Melt the remaining chocolate with the butter in a bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water. Set melted chocolate aside to cool. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff. Fold the yolks into the cooled chocolate mixture, and then add the almonds and the flour. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the molds from the fridge. Spoon a little pudding mixture into each one. Push a cube of frozen chocolate into the pudding mixture. Cover with the remaining pudding mixture so each ice cube is completely enveloped.
5. Bake 18 to 20 minutes. While the pudding is hot, remove carefully from molds. (Insert with a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary.) Serve Immediately.