Over 4,300 people attended the annual Rodeo Uncorked Best Bites competition, a Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo event on February 21st at Reliant Center and they decided that Hasta La Pasta’s Chocolate Bread Pudding was their favorite dessert. Chef Sandy Smith shows our diva of dish and radio talk show host, Cleverley Stone, how to make this award-winning dish. Also joining Cleverley, is Chef Steve Haug. He talks about Del Frisco’s Smoked Tenderloin with Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Crab Cake with Lobster Cream Sauce & Mac and Cheese. These, too, were the rodeo’s favorite dishes.
For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, catch Cleverley’s radio show,
Saturdays at Noon on KIKK 650 AM. (PS: She gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!)
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Hasta La Pasta’s Chocolate Bread Pudding
Submitted by Chef Sandy Smith
Serves 6
. Preheat oven 325 degrees
. Generously butter a 13×9 inch baking dish
Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup coffee liqueur (like Kahlua)
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s dark chocolate)
1 T vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
8 cups of day-old bread, broken into small pieces
2 cups of chocolate shavings (68% Cocoa – this semi sweet cocoa adds to the intensity.)
Preparation:
1. Combine first 9 ingredients (not the bread or chocolate shavings) above and whisk until well integrated.
2. Add bread to sugar/egg mixture and toss gently until all bread is coated. Add chocolate shavings and spread evenly throughout mixture.
3. Pour into buttered 13×9 inch baking dish and let rest for 20 minutes.
4. Cover with foil top and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes (this helps reduce the moisture). Insert knife to test for doneness. Knife should come out clean.
Sauce Ingredients
1 cup of butter
1 cup of coffee liqueur
1/4 cup of dark cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation
1. Melt 1 cup of butter and combine with 1 cup of coffee liqueur. Cook these items on low heat without boiling.
2. In a separate bowl combine ¼ cup of dark cocoa powder with 2 cups of sugar. Add to the butter and liqueur mixture. Stir until all is combined and slowly add ½ cup of heavy cream. Cook on low heat without boiling for 5 minutes, constantly moving the sauce so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Pour over individual servings of bread pudding.
www.HastaLaPasta.com, www.RodeoHouston.com, www.Cleverley.com, www.DelFriscos.com