Это предварительный просмотр рецепта "Buttery Crab Bread Pudding".

Рецепт Buttery Crab Bread Pudding
by Monte Mathews

A far nicer photograph from Food and Wine

@Kate Mathis

Because we're barely off the plane from Europe, I have gone archival today to bring a wonderful recipe that I published way back in 2012. It was such a hit with everyone who tried it that I thought I'd introduce to the whole new audience who weren't following Chewing the Fat way back when. And for those of you who were, it's still a great idea for dinner or lunch.

When

I came across this recipe in Food and Wine, I tried to resist

it. With its glorious crabmeat peeking

out from layers and layers of French bread and creamy egg-y custard, I though

it would be far too rich, far too full of carbohydrates and just far too much all

the way around. But then when I pointed

it out to Andrew, he too had glommed onto the allure of the dish. So I made it.

And I am so glad I did! It is not

heavy at all. Its richness comes from the crab and not the custard. Lemon juice lightens the whole dish and I

confess to cutting back on the butter and using a delicious whole wheat

baguette to cushion the carb count. It

was simply delicious served with a green

salad. There were leftovers,

which I brought to a friend and disappointed Andrew who was looking forward to

another delicious go at it. And where

did this delicious concoction come from?

You have to love someone whose name is Hugh

Fearnley-Whittingstall, the co-author, with the aptly named Nick Fisher, of the

cookbook Buttery Crab Bread Pudding came from, “River Cottage Fish Book”

(Bloomsbury 2007). The name conjurs up a

bucolic image of the English countryside in all its Technicolor glory. Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstall is indeed English and the English

country background is indeed a reality. The chef has a fascinating

background. He went to both Eton and

Oxford before settling into a culinary career as a celebrity chef, journalist,

food writer and television personality.

And he has a fascinating nickname: Hugh Fearlessly-Eatsitall. This was given to him for his completely

eccentric cooking style showcased in a series called “Cook on the Wild

Side.” I won’t go into some of the

unbelievable things the chef cooked on the series but think of Andrew Zimmern,

the American star of “Bizaare Foods”, and you’ll get the picture.

I think we can all

breathe sigh of relief that in 1997, Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstall decided to

repair to his “River Cottage” where he focused his attention on becoming a

champion of the slow food movement. The

former gameskeeper’s lodge in Dorset became the setting for 3 television

series: “Escape to River Cottage”, “Return to River Cottage” and “River Cottage

forever”. But it hardly stopped there.

Then came “The River Cottage Treatment”, “River Cottage Gone Fishing”,

“The View from River Cottage”, “River Cottage Spring”, “River Cottage Autumn”

and “River Cottage Winter’s on the way”.

If you are not already exhausted from this output, Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall

then produced “River Cottage Everyday” and in August 2011, “River Cottage, Veg

every day” came on the air. Whew.

The only real regret I

have is that I made this in the city where our baking dish selection is

limited. So my version did not have the visual panache of the original photograph by Kate Mathis,

pictured at the top of this post.

Instead, mine was not packed in.

It was considerably smaller than the Bon Appetit version, but my, was it

good. I cut the recipe back but the one

I am publishing is for the full dish which is said to serve 8 people. That would give everyone a serving that would

likely make a reasonable appetizer or a light supper or lunch. It’s so satisfying that you don’t need a lot. And you can put it together in under a half

hour before baking it for another half hour.

Here is the recipe:

Recipe for Buttery Crab

Bread Pudding from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s “River Cottage Fish Book”(with

Nick Fisher (Bloomsbury 2007)

10 ounces lump crabmeat, picked

over

mixture evenly between the slices of bread.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with

the milk, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

Pour the custard evenly over the bread and let stand for 10 minutes.

Bake the bread pudding for 30

minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the custard is set. Let stand for

10 minutes before serving.