One of the holiday season’s most decadent dessert ideas might also be one of its easiest to make: Concha Bread Pudding that you can set and forget in the slow cooker.
Made with a fragrant custard with notes of cinnamon and rum, all you need to add in otherwise is a few chopped-up conchas. Day-old pieces of the Mexican sweet bread are best, but any leftover or fresh ones you have will work perfectly for this bread pudding.
Other than that, it’s a simple manner of loading everything into the slow cooker, setting it for a few hours, then coming back to a luscious and sumptuous treat. This concha bread pudding is the perfect dessert to have going on in the background while everything else comes together for the holiday feast.
You can find all of the ingredients necessary for this one-pot sweet at Northgate Market, who will also have the full recipe in a holiday cookbook coming out soon. In the meantime, you can peep the directions to get this festive food party going below:
Servings: 5
Step 1
Butter the inside of a crock pot/slow cooker with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add the concha cubes to the pot.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, rum, salt, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the conchas, ensuring it covers every piece. Gently push down on bread with a spatula or spoon so that the concha on top soaks up the liquid as well.
Step 3
Cover and cook for 3 1/2 hours on a low setting. Turn off the crock pot and let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving with a heaping scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Created in partnership with Northgate Market
A SoCal poke chain is giving the classic Hawaiian fish dish a true Angeleno twist.
Dakota Weiss, the creative genius behind Sweetfin Poke, has developed a Fiesta Tuna Poke Bowl that adds a ton of fresh LA tastes and combinations.
Together, they add a zesty punch of spicy and citrus flavor that adds the essence of the elote carts of LA into a refreshing bowl of fish.
Sweetfin’s creation is being given out for FREE via the Hubert’s Lemon A Go Go Truck on Friday, November 16th, in Westwood near UCLA. For more information, head to foodbeast.com/huberts.
Created in partnership with Hubert's.
The most difficult part about Christmas dessert for me is choosing just one to enjoy. With vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry options abound, I want to just shove them all in my face. Fortunately, there are desserts out there like this Neapolitan atole cheesecake that let me enjoy all of those flavors at once.
Made with instant atole mix, this cheesecake is more decadent than your standard New York variation, but adds in a nutty flavor that you wouldn’t get otherwise. It has triple the layers of your standard cheesecake, with vanilla as a foundation, a chocolatey middle, and a vibrant pink strawberry finish.
The treat is made even sweeter with a base made from Maria’s Cookies and buñuelos, with even more buñuelos and cajeta garnishing the top.
Those looking to make this all-in-one dessert can find the ingredients to do so at Northgate Market. You’ll also soon be able to find a cookbook that covers this recipe as well as a host of other Christmas treats in Northgate Market. For those who want to make it before then, though, you can find the full recipe below.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
12 Maria’s Cookies, crushed
5 6-inch buñuelos, crushed,
4 tablespoons butter, melted
6 cups 2% fat free milk,
3 (1.6 oz each) packets of instant atole mix: 1 vanilla, 1 chocolate, and 1 strawberry flavor
3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature, divided
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon unsweetened cacao powder
Directions
Step 1
Spray the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper as well to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom.
Step 2
Make the cheesecake base by combining crushed cookies, 2 crushed buñuelos and the melted butter in a small bowl. Stir until fully combined into a wet, sandy mixture. Press that into the bottom of the parchment-lined springform pan with the bottom of a tall drinking glass or large spoon. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the base can set.
Step 3
Make the vanilla cheesecake layer using the vanilla flavored atole mix. Dissolve it into ½ cup cold milk in a small bowl. Meanwhile, bring 1 ½ cups milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in vanilla atole mixture into the hot milk, lower the heat, and continue to whisk slowly until the liquid thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Let the mixture cool at this point.
Step 4
Combine 1 package of cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula to ensure everything combines evenly. Gradually add vanilla atole mixture while mixing. Once everything is combined, pour it over the cheesecake base and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes while second layer is prepared.
Step 5
Repeat Step 3, but use the chocolate atole mix this time. This will be the middle layer of your Neapolitan cheesecake.
Step 6
Repeat Step 4 for the chocolate atole mix, adding in the cacao powder as well while mixing the cream cheese together. Pour on top of the vanilla cheesecake layer, then place in the freezer for 15 minutes while the top layer is prepared.
Step 7
Repeat Steps 3 and 4, using the strawberry atole mix this time to make the final layer of cheesecake.
Step 8
Pour the strawberry atole cheesecake mixture over the chocolate layer, spreading evenly. Carefully top with your remaining crushed buñuelos, pressing them lightly into the strawberry layer. Chill for 3-5 hours, or overnight.
Step 9
Run a knife around the edges to help the cheesecake release from the springform pan. Once that is freed, drizzle with a generous amount of cajeta and serve!
Created in partnership with Northgate Market
Clam chowder and coconut curry come from two very different countries. However, the flavors harmonize together in this restaurant’s creative twist on Nissin Cup Noodles.
These Clam Chowder Cup Noodles are the brainchild of Chef Dean Isom at Shuck Oyster Bar, a seafood establishment in Costa Mesa, CA. Chef Isom got the idea to make them from his love of Cup Noodles, Asian dishes, and Shuck’s classic clam chowder.
At the base of Isom’s creation is a mixture of speck (a smoked, dry-cured prosciutto), garlic oil, minced fennel seed, and Thai green curry powder. This mixture is combined with coconut milk, lime juice, diced cooked potatoes, and chopped clams to create the chowder-curry hybrid. Once the noodles are mixed in, the entire cup is garnished with a mini baguette, Thai basil, micro cilantro, and fresh Littleneck clams.
Together, the curry and chowder components intermingle for a mix of spicy, creamy, and aromatic flavors that have to be tasted to be believed.
Shuck will have this innovative Cup Noodles dish on the menu while supplies last.
Created in partnership with Nissin Cup Noodles.
We believe in 6 days of hard work and then a day of rest. We hope you enjoy your rest with family and friends. See you in 24 hours!
