Gnocchi Gratin with Orleans Cream Saucebrown sugar + french bread + rich cream sauce + raisins + whiskey sauce = YUM!

I invited the team over for a combination creative brainstorming meeting and "thank you for doing all you do" dinner during the week of Mardi Gras.

While everyone enjoyed the New Orleans-inspired main course (a Food Network web site top recipe), it was the Brown Sugar Bread Pudding smell coming from the oven that really kept everyone in the kitchen all night.

The result?

Great ideas + great food + great memories.

BROWN SUGAR BREAD PUDDING WITH NEW ORLEANS WHISKY SAUCE

12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white French bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cups heavy cream

4 cups whole milk

6 large eggs

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

1. PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.

2. MAKE THE CREAM MIXTURE: Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

3. BAKE: Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.

4. GARNISH & SERVE: Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.

Whiskey Sauce:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. MAKE THE SAUCE: In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon.

GNOCCHI GRATIN WITH NEW ORLEANS CREAM SAUCE

1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

2 egg yolks

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound tasso, small dice

1 cup green onions, chopped

1 cup chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons hot sauce

New Orleans seasoning :

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons dried italian seasoning

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. MAKE GNOCCHI: Preheat oven to 350. In a pot of salted water, bring the potatoes up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes until tender. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain completely. Place the potatoes on the heat and dehydrate the potatoes for about 5 minutes, to insure the potatoes are completely dry. Puree the potatoes in a food mill or ricer. Stir in the butter, flour and egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Form the dough into a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 or more parts and roll out into logs, 1-inch thick. Slice the rolls into 1-inch pieces. When working with gnocchi, keep your hands dusted with flour. Shape the gnocchi?s either with a gnocchi dowl or a fork with slim tines. In a pot of salted, boiling water, test 2 gnocchi for cooking time. The gnocchi are done when they float to the surface and cook for about 10 seconds. Finish cooking the gnocchi in batches, about 2 dozen at a time. Remove from the water and drain completely.

2. MAKE SAUCE: In a saute pan, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, render the Tasso for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the green onions, tomatoes, shallots and garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Add New Orleans seasoning mixture. Add the cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Crystal hot sauce. Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the cream thickens and reduces by 1/3.

3. BAKE: In a large gratin dish, lay the gnocchi?s on the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce over the gnocchi. Sprinkle the dish with the grated cheese. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Spoon the gnocchi in a shallow dish.

4. GARNISH & SERVE: Garnish with chives and grated cheese.

Despite my penchant for snowboarding and cozy nights by the fireplace, I've been dreaming of sunnier days and warmer weather. The Elderflower Collins cocktail does the trick. The botanicals in the gin + the freshly squeezed lemon juice + the sweet elderflower combine for a fabulous dose of sunshine that's just perfect for keeping it fresh during these cold winter months.

ELDERFLOWER COLLINS

1 3/4 ounces of gin

3/4 ounces of fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce elderflower cordial

club soda, to top up

lemon slice, for garnish

Build all of the ingredients into a chilled highball glass filled with ice. Stir gently and garnish with the lemon slice.

For a recent dinner gathering of friends, our Special Events Director and resident vegetarian, Vivian Lacroix, asked her husband, Erich, to come up with a course that would be healthy and vegetarian-friendly but would still have widespread appeal.

He deftly created these tasty, vibrant Beet Tartare Shooters and I've been begging for the recipe every since. Colorful, healthy and packed with intense flavors, these gorgeous shooters will serve 6 guests.

BEET TARTARE SHOOTERS

4 large beets

1 shallot

1 orange

1 grapefruit

1 T Dijon mustard

1 large piece of jicama, peeled

1 bunch fresh mache

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 heads of endive

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup of pomegranate juice

1 small log of goat cheese

1 head of radicchio

1. MAKE THE BEET TARTARE: Start by boiling beets for 45mins to 1 hour until tender and peel almost fall off the beets. Set aside and let chill. Once chilled, begin chopping small cubes about 1/4 an inch for both the jicama and beets. Once chopped, toss in a large mixing bowl. Add citrus dressing (recipe below) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  

2. MAKE THE CITRUS DRESSING: Combine the juice from 1 grapefruit and 1 orange with the Dijon mustard, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Wisk or blend until thick consistency.

3. MAKE THE BALSAMIC DRIZZLE: Combine balsamic Vinegar and pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and cook over low-medium heat for 45 minutes or until combination has thickened. Set aside and prepare to serve.

4. ASSEMBLE SHOOTERS: Place radicchio on serving platter to create a base for your endive cups. Place each piece of endive around the platter. Place 1 spoonful of beet mixture in each cup. Take a spoon and top with a piece of goat cheese. Top each cup with some chopped walnuts (can be omitted for allergy purposes). Take one sprig of mache and place on top of the goat cheese. Now, with a full spoonful of the balsamic reduction drizzle, run it up and down over the endive to create lines on top of each endive shooter.

I love comfort food! Whether it's tomato soup and grilled cheese or a big pan of lasagna, there are some dishes that just make perfect sense when I'm in the mood to warm up, enjoy a simple meal with a glass of wine, and cozy up in front of the fireplace on a chilly winter's day. This recipe for croquetas takes one of my favorite comfort food combos (ham and cheese) and takes it to another level. Even better, this is a traditional croqueta recipe that you can customize as you see fit with different cheese and meat or cheese and vegetable combinations.

CROQEUTAS WITH HAM & CHEESE

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 clove of minced garlic

1 cup of flour

1 cup whole milk

pinch of sea salt

pinch of pepper

1 cup of grated manchego cheese

1/2 cup minced ham

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

2 beaten eggs

2 cups fresh, fine italian bread crumbs

1 cup grapeseed oil

1. MAKE THE CROQUETA MIXTURE. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Stir in a 1/2 cup of the flour until a ball forms. Slowly add the milk and continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, ham and chives. The mixture will be very thick. Cover and chill for at least two hours.

2. FORM THE CROQUETAS.  Lightly flour your work surface. Remove the croqueta mixture from the refrigerator and roll it into a 1" wide log. Cut into 2 inch pieces and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. You will have about 14 pieces total.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In 3 separate bowls, place a half cup of the flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs. Working with 4 pieces at a time, place in flour and toss to coat, shaking off excess. Transfer to egg mixture and coat evenly. Finally, transfer to bread crumbs and toss to coat, again shaking off excess. Using your hands, rollcroqeutas into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. FRY THE CROQUETAS. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. In batches, fry the croquetas carefully turning once with a spatula, until golden, approximately 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to apper towels to drain.  Repeat with remaining croquetas. Return them to the baking sheet and bake until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Serve and enjoy immediately.

I must confess to making this dessert four times in the past two weeks. I read about Maura Kilpatrick (Boston's Oleana and Sofra) and her recipe for Caramel Tangerine Parfaits in the January issue of Food & Wine magazine. I first served it to my twelve Christmas brunch guests and never looked back.

Crowd-pleasing-crunchy-caramel-creaminess doesn't begin to describe how amazing this dessert is, so if a salted caramel and fresh fruit combo sounds right up your alley, definitely give this recipe a try:

CARAMEL CREAM

2/3 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

GRANITA

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed tangerine juice, strained

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of salt

CARAMEL CRUNCH

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1. MAKE THE CARAMEL CREAM: Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a metal bowl in it. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with 3 tablespoons of water and cook over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook undisturbed until a deep amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cream and salt. Stir until the caramel cream is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the cream into the metal bowl in the ice water bath and let cool, then refrigerate the cream until very cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

2. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE GRANITA: In a heatproof measuring cup, microwave the sugar with 1/2 cup of water at high power until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tangerine juice, lemon juice and salt. Pour the mixture into an 8-by-11 inch baking pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Stir the granita with a fork. Continue stirring the granita every 30 minutes, until the icy crystals are fluffy, about 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap.

3. MAKE THE CARAMEL CRUNCH: Spray a sheet of parchment paper with vegetable oil spray. IN a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and cook over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cook undisturbed until a deep-amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Pour the hot caramel onto the parchment paper and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the caramel crunch into small shards.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the caramel cream at high speed until firm peaks form. Spoon the cream into glasses. Fluff the granita with a fork and spoon it into the glasses. Garnish with the caramel crunch and serve right away.

Recipe by Maura Kilpatrick, as featured in the January 2010 issue of Food & Wine magazine.