The Jewels of New York's Leek Bread Pudding

Earlier this summer, I was part of a photo shoot for West Elm and Kinfolk magazine. A group of us gathered for a faux Thanksgiving dinner, and Gentl & Hyers shot the meal for the West Elm website and catalog. The Jewels of New York cooked the dinner, and while it wasn't really a dinner party, the pretend guests (myself included) did get to eat the food. The best thing we ate that afternoon was the leek bread pudding. I am thrilled to see that West Elm has published the recipes for our meal on its site. I typed up the Leek Bread Pudding recipe to share with you: Give it a try. And yes, it's wickedly rich.

Leek Bread Pudding
From The Jewels of New Yor

Ingredients:
4 T. unsalted butter
4 c. leeks, sliced 1/2-inch thick (white and green parts only)
1/4 t. salt
freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs
2 1/2 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
nutmeg
2/3 c. shredded comte (or gruyère),
2 loaves brioche (or challah), cubed
2 T. finely chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; add leeks and season with salt.
3. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until leeks are soft and caramelized 10-15 minutes; season with pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg and comte; add the leeks to the bowl and toss to combine.
5. In a buttered baking dish, line the bottom with the bread.
6. Pour enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread; let soak for about 10 minutes.
7. Place dish into the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the pudding is set and the top is brown and bubbling.
8. Scatter with chives to serve.

UPDATE: I finally got around to making this recipe in December, and it is a HUGE recipe. I cut everything in half and still filled a 9 x 13 baking dish, which was plenty of bread pudding for 6-8 people. Also, the custard mixtures won't really "cover" the bread, but that's okay, it's nice to have the under layer soft and creamy and the top piece a little crisp.

West Elm Wallpaper Mystery Solved!

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I loved West Elm's new look and that I was curious about the wallpaper shown above. Lucky for me, one of my work contacts at West Elm noticed the post and emailed both me and the maker of the wallpaper. So, I now know that Madison and Grow is the maker of this gorgeous wallpaper. The pattern is Elizabeth in "Peacock on Shimmer," which is part of the Pasadena Collection.

The line of eco-friendly wallpapers in designed by Teresa Grow, who has a background in both fine art and color consulting. Apparently, I 'm not the only one to appreciates the beauty of Grow's work: Madison and Grow was a recipient of Interior Design's Merit Award for Best Residential Wallcovering of 2008.

I'm having serious thoughts about wallpapering the wall behind my bed in this pretty, blue and white pattern. It's subtle enough not to overwhelm the small room, but interesting enough to create a focal point. We'll just have to see if I'm still thinking about it a few weeks from now...

West Elm's New Look

Have you noticed that West Elm's sporting a bit of a new look? I am loving West Elm's new feel, with more organic elements and interior styling that looks like real places not catalog studio shoots. Case in point: This practically perfect entryway that appeared in a recent catalog. Does anyone know what that gorgeous wallpaper is? I'd be thrilled to know.