Lemon Poppyseed Cream Cheese Bread Pudding.....a little bit of Sunshine

Lemons, so bright, so fresh and so very tasty in everything you eat!  Today I have sunshine on my mind and lemons remind me of sunshine. Lemons combined with poppy seeds and then cream cheese....Yum.   I came across this recipe  last week while 'surfing' on my computer one drizzly, grey morning.  I had all the ingredients in my kitchen so I decided to try it out.

Growing up my parents always grew poppies in their garden and at the end of summer when the poppies were ripe it was my job (and my sisters and brother) to harvest the seeds from the dry poppy heads.  One of my favorite 'chores' as a lot of the poppy seeds ended up in my mouth but making sure that enough went into the pail for my Mom's kitchen. ( She loved to bake us treats with  poppy seeds)

I love to grow poppy seeds in my garden too, they are such a happy looking plant, so many colours, shapes and sizes and then at the end of the season - so many heads to collect the seeds from.

 Perfect for baking up some treats of my own. 

Lemon Poppyseed Cream Cheese Bread Pudding

The ingredients you will need.

The custard mixture ready for the bread.

The cream cheese mixture ready for the pudding.



The first layer of bread topped with the lemony cream cheese mixture.





The rest of the bread is layered along with the final cream cheese and custard mixture.

Lemon Poppyseed Cream Cheese Bread Pudding baked and sampled....Yum.

 A delicious tangy, creamy dessert - perfect for family and friends.

LEMON POPPYSEED CREAM CHEESE BREAD PUDDING 

original recipe from Food Wanderings In Asia

5 1/3 cups bread, day old and cut into cubes

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of 2 lemons

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp. poppy seeds

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Lemon Sauce

3 egg yolks
6 tbsp. sugar

juice of 2 small lemons

zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. water

1/2 of a stick of butter, cut into cubes

Prepare the lemon sauce. 

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Mix well.

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a pan over low heat. Stir constantly for about 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring for 3 minutes or more until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the butter, one cube at a time. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Heat in the microwave quickly before serving with the bread pudding.

To make the bread pudding:

Heat the milk with the sugar in a pan on low heat (or in a microwave) and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and mix in the heavy cream. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks gradually until well combined. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well. Stir in the poppyseeds. Set aside. 

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese together with the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

Butter an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Arrange half the amount of bread cubes in a single, even layer. Drop dollops of the cream cheese on top of the bread cubes. Pour about 3/4 cup of the custard over the bread cubes. Top with the remaining half of bread cubes. Drop dollops of the remaining cream cheese over the bread. Carefully pour the rest of the custard mixture evenly over the whole thing. Set aside for 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, covered and let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until the pudding is set.

 Best served warm drizzled with the lemon sauce.

(to top my pudding I used a store bought Lemon Curd)

'The best things in life are free. And it is important never to lose sight of that.

 So look around you.

Wherever you see friendship, loyalty, laughter, & love...there is your treasure.'

Neale Donald Walsch

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie

My Mother and Grandmother taught me that food was precious and throwing away any was a very bad idea.  Today I had 2 cups of mixed vegetables that I wanted to use, on my daily walk with a couple of friends - we posed this question: 'what am I making for dinner tonight?' by the end of our walk, after some discussion an idea for a Vegetarian Shepard's Pie was formed, this is the end result!

I served it with a Greek Salad.

VEGETARIAN SHEPARD'S PIE

Mushroom gravy I used as I had some in my pantry.

Vegetables sautéed, ground round and gravy mixed in.

Ready to be topped with the potato mixture.

The potatoes are tender and now mashed.



Stir in some cream cheese and sharp Asiago and a bit of sour cream too.





A lovely creamy mixture, perfect for the vegetables.



The Vegetables are covered with the potato mixture and sprinkled with some Smoked Paprika.

Ready for the oven.

VEGETARIAN SHEPARD'S PIE RECIPE

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained

1 cup vegetarian Ground Round (or canned beans/lentils of your choice)

2 cups mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, lima beans & corn)

1 teaspoon Greek seasoning

salt, pepper to taste

1 can mushroom gravy

smoked paprika

4 medium potatoes, cubed and cooked

2 Tablespoons light cream cheese

2 Tablespoons light sour cream

1 cup Asiago cheese, shredded (or cheese of your choice)

In a large frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is translucent, add in the vegetarian ground round and the sliced mushrooms sauté 2 minutes.

Stir in  the mixed vegetables, seasonings and mushroom gravy, bring to a simmer then set aside.

Grease a 9x9 baking dish and add the vegetable mixture, spread evenly in the pan.

 Set aside and prepare the potato topping. 

Potato Topping

In a large saucepan cook the potatoes (I do not peel my potatoes if they are nice) in salted water.

When the potatoes are tender, drain and mash, add the sour cream,

 cream cheese and shredded cheese and some fresh ground pepper.

 Spread over the vegetable mixture in the pan, sprinkle with some smoked paprika.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Serve with a green or Greek salad for a complete meal.

 

'Meet the sunrise in the clouds.  Let it warm your face.  Feel it awaken your soul.'

 'Live life to the fullest'

Vegetarian 'Sausage' Rolls

A new year has begun and I have put 2014 behind me.   A wonderful year it was, full of happy events like weddings, Thanksgiving spent with family in the Kootenay area, as well as sad events, time to say goodbye to old friends and parents of extended family members.  A new year to me is, a fresh start, new hopes, new dreams and so much time to create new memories. Time spent with family and friends is so precious and this year we were so grateful for a lot of both.  This Vegetarian 'Sausage' Roll was part of our Christmas dinner.  Beautiful, so fragrant and also very filling, served alongside with a fresh green salad, steamed vegetables and a lovely Persian rice dish cooked my by son-in-law.

This Vegetarian 'Sausage' Roll can be put together well in advance and frozen until needed, a great make ahead meal that just needs to be reheated. For this year I wish everyone reading this a year filled with Love, Family, Friends, good Health and always Peace.

VEGETARIAN 'SAUSAGE' ROLLS

The ingredients you will need.

The Vegetarian 'Sausage' Rolls baked cooled and ready for the freezer or the table.



Vegetarian 'Sausage' Rolls

serve as a main course or an appetizer - your choice, perfect for lunch too!

VEGETARIAN 'SAUSAGE' ROLL RECIPE

'adapted from a recipe by J. Schmidt'

Makes 2 rolls, serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, lightly thawed

½ cup of brown or green lentils

2 cups of vegetable stock

2 cups of finely chopped mushrooms

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of Dijon mustard

¼ cup of red wine

2 Tablespoons of freshly picked thyme leaves

2 Tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley

1 cup of breadcrumbs

3 eggs, 1 beaten for brushing the pastry

2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Begin by cooking the lentils.

 Place the lentils and vegetable stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer.

Simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender, drain and set aside to cool.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, celery and carrot and cook until the onion is golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the mustard and red wine and reduce to low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit and line a tray with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the lentils, mushroom mixture, thyme, parsley and breadcrumbs. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 of the eggs and mix until well combined.

Cut the squares of puff pastry in half and place  spoonfuls of the mixture down one side. Brush with beaten egg and fold the pastry over into a roll. Use a sharp knife to cut in half and then half again. Repeat with remaining mixture.

Place the rolls on the baking tray, brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.



Enjoy!

'This New Year' my goal is to be someone who brings my soul peace, gives my mind clarity, and fills my heart with joy and goodness. And my I help plant a seed of hopes in those around me with kindness and sincerity.'