IMBB 25 Round-Up, Part 1
I will never again toss out stale bread. And neither will you after reading this first serving of bloggers who participated in the 25th edition of "Is My Blog Burning," the Internet's favorite cooking exhibition. My theme of "Give Us This Day Yesterday's Bread" encouraged participants to use dried-up bread in a new meal. Food bloggers stretched their leftovers in many creative ways. Here's the first group, with more to follow in the next few days:
Baked French Toast and Simple Bread Pudding
Laura Rebecca of the aptly named Laura Rebecca's Kitchen recommends the Baked French Toast from Gourmet's Everyday Meals. It won her over, even though she's not a French Toast lover. Two weeks later, another rock-hard loaf inspired her to make a simple bread pudding.
Autumn Pudding
Bonnie from Daydream delicious got her site up just in time to participate in her first IMBB. Visit her blog, give her a warm welcome, and enjoy the description of the Autumn Pudding she made.
Southern Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Tyler and Amanda at What We're Eating worked in reverse: They made bread pudding and then learned about IMBB. But I'm more than happy to include their traditional southern bread pudding and its accompanying whiskey sauce.
Zucchini Pudding
Marie-Laure of Ô Délices made a savory bread pudding with zucchini and a heady mix of spices.
Savory Spanish Bread Pudding
If Marie-Laure's savory bread pudding isn't enough, read about Kevin's Savory Spanish Bread Pudding at Seriously Good. Chorizo, manchego, paprika, peppers and garlic mingle with good bread for a dish that has his commenters swooning.
Tomato Bread Soup
Melissa said mmm,mmm after reading about the Tomato Bread Soup at Mary Beth's orientation::quiltr. Curiously, that was the same thing Mary Beth wrote about her soup, so you know it's got to be good.
Sweet Bruschetta
I love bruschetta, a thick slab of bread piled with flavorful ingredients. Haalo's Sweet Bruschetta at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once is a creative variant. Serve this after dinner, and your guests will be in heaven.
Caramel Bread Pudding
Babe_KL from Babe in the City - KL adds to the bread pudding pool with a caramel bread pudding. She found this "Recipe That Time Forgot" in a food magazine, and pulled it out just for the occasion.
Caesar Salad
A good Caesar salad requires good croutons, which is how Zorra from 1 x umrühren bitte decided to use leftover bread. I love the crunch of a good toasted crouton, and I'm sure they boosted Zorra's gorgeous salad into the stratosphere of taste.
Tarragon Tomato Soup With Olive Oil Croutons
Melissa was happy to hear that her Flickr friend from Bea's Kitchen had contributed olive oil croutons bobbing in a bowl of tarragon tomato soup. The combination of flavors intrigued me, but the dual-language post made me jealous: I barely update in one language.
Napkin Olive Dumplings
Ulrike of Küchenlatein contributed dumplings made from a torchon of bread cubes, milk, and savory ingredients poached gently. His post reminds me that it's been too long since I've made Serviettenknödel.
Roti John
We don't always crave a dish just for its flavor. Lisa of Lekker Lekker Lekkerste made a Malaysian dish for her friend G, en route to her farm to celebrate his 40th birthday. Read her touching post, a tribute to her friend as much as the dish he taught her.
Pain Perdu Panino
French toast + grilling = crazy delicious. That's what I thought when I read Matt Kerner's multilingual combo of Pain Perdu Panino at kerner.net. Follow his lead and add ham and cheese between the slices of French Toast. Oh, yeah. That's all kinds of good.
Baked/Fried Stale Breads
Gemma of Part-Time Pro Bono Baker swaddled an egg in a piece of stale toast, and offered two different preparation methods. Though given a choice between baking and frying... Wait. Is there a choice?
Roast Chicken with Bread and Spinach Salad
Whenever I host one of these blog events, I have to resist the urge to run into the kitchen (or the wine store) after I read each post. Michelle of Je Mange la Ville strained my feeble powers of resistance. I love a good roast chicken with crispy skin and deep flavor. Stale bread? Oh, right. I almost forgot. Cubes of bread soaked in the chicken's juices and wilted spinach make a welcoming bed for the lusty bird (her photos suggest the metaphor).
Stale Bread Three Ways (Baked French Toast, Sicilian Blood Orange Cake, and Asparagus, Crab, and Cheese Strata
Each of the three bloggers at Peanut Butter Étouffée contributed an entry to this round of IMBB. I often make strata for brunches, and doodles's combination of asparagus, crab, and cheese will stick in my mind for a springtime feast. Unless, of course, I opt for Moonchild's baked French toast. Maltese Parakeet's (I love these names) blood orange cake featured one of the more unusual entries for this round of IMBB. Other bloggers used stale bread crumbs as thickeners, but the blood orange cake features bread crumbs and almond meal in place of flour. Fascinating. Be sure to welcome these first-time participants!
Strawberry Bruschetta
I'm glad the army of bloggers at Slashfood didn't follow the fine example of Peanut Butter Étouffée: My fingers would fall off after typing in all their names and entries. But Nicole's strawberry bruschetta serves as the perfect ambassador for the site. The pictures and the description make me eager for the good strawberries we can expect soon in the Bay Area.
Quiche in a Bread Crumb Shell
I hoped Carolyn of 18thC Cuisine would be able to participate in this edition of IMBB. A peasant in New France would need to be frugal, and Carolyn's bread-crumb crust offers a brilliant solution for stale bread. An 18th-century lifestyle doesn't seem so difficult after she mentions a quiche filling of smoked salmon, onions, and dill.
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