Finger Lucking Good Sticky Bun Recipe

Did you know that today is National Sticky Bun Day?  No, you did not.  Shame on you. 

Thanks to Grand Lux Cafe for hosting our dinner.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

In celebration of National Sticky Bun Day, Grand Lux Cafe is sharing their Warm Sticky Bun Bread Pudding recipe with you, my readers.  You can create this finger licking dish at home.

Warm Sticky Bun Bread Pudding-
Served with Whiskey Sauce, Sugared Pecans and Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1 lb.	Brioche or Challah
8 oz.(2 Sticks) 1/3 Cup, packed 1/3 Cup 1 tsp. ¼ tsp. ¼ tsp.	Melted Butter Brown Sugar Sugar Cinnamon Nutmeg Salt
2 Cups 2 Cups 4 ea. 4 ea. ½ C. 1 tsp.	Milk Heavy Cream Eggs Egg Yolks Sugar Vanilla Extract

Directions

1.       Cut the bread into 1” cubes. 2.       Place the bread cubes into a large mixing bowl.

3.       Combine the butter, sugars and spices in a mixing bowl, whisking to combine completely. 4.       Pour the mixture over the bread, tossing to fully coat the bread cubes with the mixture. 5.       Spread out into a 9x13 baking dish. 6.       Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Be sure to stir the bread cubes once or twice while toasting.

7.       While the bread is toasting, make the custard.

8.       Whisk all ingredients together until evenly combined. 9.       Once the bread has toasted, remove the pan from the oven. 10.   Pour the custard over the bread cubes. 11.   Allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes before cooking.

12.   Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place into a 300° oven. 13.   Bake for 20 minutes. 14.   Remove foil from pan and continue to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until light golden brown and the custard has set.  You can test this by inserting a paring knife into the center of the pudding. If the knife comes away clean, or with very little pudding clinging to it, the pudding is ready.

15.   Allow the pudding to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

16.   To serve: Top the pudding with toasted pecans and warm caramel sauce. Serve with either vanilla ice cream or crème anglaise.

If you try this at home and fail, you could always just head to your nearest Grand Lux Cafe like we did.  I am not the Betty Crocker when it comes to following recipes.  My husband will agree with me on that.  He has had to suffer through lots of my Pinterest fail dinners. 

Here are a few recommendations if you do not know what to order:

Appetizers-

Empanadas -   Flaky Pastry Filled with Beef, Chorizo, Peppers, Onions, Herbs and Spices

These are great tapas.  Also if you are not that hungry, this is a good, tasty choice.

Edamame -   Soybeans in Their Pods Stir Fried with Spicy Szechuan Sauce

I enjoy Edamame.  This is a great option to the steamed and it has a nice kick to it too.

 Entrée-

Spicy Ginger Beef-A Stir Fry of Beef Tenderloin, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choy, Red Onion, Sesame Seeds and Spicy Soy-Ginger Sauce. Served with Steamed White Rice

The perfect amount of spice.  This was a recommendation from our waitress.  It was exactly what I what wanted. 

Cedar Planked B.B.Q. Salmon- Roasted on a Cedar Plank and Glazed with Sweet and Spicy B.B.Q. Sauce. Served with Mashed Potatoes, Corn Succatash and Crispy Onion Rings

My hubby substituted the Corn Succatash for Brussel Sprouts.  These were very crispy and sweet.

Dessert-

Of course, the Warm Sticky Bun Bread Pudding makes the list.

Warm Rustic Apple Pie- Baked when you order it! Flaky Sugared Crust Filled with Fresh Apples and Topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel

My husband devoured this dessert.  Not your traditional Apple Pie.  It is a must try as well.

For more information, go to www.grandluxcafe.com.  No reservation is ever needed.  This is always a great option is you get your bum into a sticky situation at home, wink, wink. 

Let Grand Lux Cafe do the cooking for you!

Eggcellent Brunch Options

Are you looking for new Brunch options?  Do you like eggs?  How do you like your eggs? 

Thanks to Grand Lux Cafe for inviting me back for Brunch.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Previously I shared my To Brunch or Not to Brunch post, there was so much to choose from I was left with wanting to try more of the Grand Lux Brunch menu.  Take a look for yourself...

On my last visit I was torn between the Fried Chicken and Waffles and "The Best" Eggs Benedict with Ham & Hollandaise.  Can you guess what I tried this time?

What is Eggs Benedict?  Eggs Benedict consists of two halves of an English muffin each of which is topped with Canadian bacon and a poached egg with hollandaise sauce.

One thing I can tell you is that I do not like everyone's hollandaise sauce.  To me, it should add to the dish and not make you want to wipe it off.  I think of it as gravy for my eggs.  Not too runny, nor too thick.  Grand Lux Cafe has got it just like I like my hollandaise sauce, creamy.  It is not overpowering but complimented my eggs.   Also, I always ask for my hash browns to be crispy not burnt.  These were the right amount of crispy. 

I did not Brunch alone.  I brought a cute date with me.  A very picky eater too.  He also had seen another dish he wanted to try, the Chilaquiles.

What is Chilaquiles?  I know, I asked the same question the first time I heard the name of this dish.  Chilaquiles typically consist of lightly fried corn tortillas cut in quarters with a green or red salsa poured over the crisp tortilla.  Grand Lux Cafe's Chilaquiles consist of eggs scrambled with tortilla chips, red and yellow peppers, chiles, onion and tomato covered with ranchero sauce, corn, black beans, avocado, cilantro and pepper-jack cheese.  When we first were asking our waitress about this dish, we basically came to the conclusion, this is not our mami's dish.  It is a great twist on this typical dish.  My husband does not normally like eating avocado.  He enjoyed every bit of his plate.  I am glad I got a taste when his plate first came out or I would have not been able to sample it.  He scarfed it down.  We both liked the crunchy tortillas that were sprinkled on top.  The mix of the ingredients made every bite very flavorful.

I do not know what we were thinking when we decided to order an order of Beignets.  The portion sizes at Grand Lux Cafe are huge.  But we did, we had to try them out.  Call them dessert.

Grand Lux Cafe has Beignets on the Brunch menu with is different than the ones on the dinner menu.  The Brunch Beignets are covered in Cinnamon Sugar and the dinner Beignets are the New Orleans Beignets served warm with three sauces.  I had never had them and therefore, I had to go with the dinner ones.  My husband said they tasted like the ones he had when he was stationed in New Orleans.  So I know that these are the real deal.  He didn't care too much for the sauces.  He said they were good enough without them.  I tried each sauce and decided I liked them all.  These Beignets were good dipped or undipped.   

All we needed now was a nice, cozy bed.  We were so full and content.  The Beignets hit the spot and cured the sugar craving.  And of course, we did not finish them all by ourselves.  We brought them home to share.  Or do we? 

To Brunch or Not to Brunch

Our Monday through Friday schedule is so full.  We are so go, go , go.  Early days and late nights.  But on the weekend, we get to sleep in and relax a little bit.  Most weekends we wake up late, way past Breakfast.  We have discovered the Brunch.  In case you are lost and never heard the word Brunch, it is the meal in between Breakfast and Lunch.  Where do you eat Brunch?  And what do you eat for Brunch?

Thanks to Grand Lux Cafe for inviting my family and I to come experience their Weekend Brunch.

My son loves French Toast.  He decided to order the Grand Lux Cafe French Toast which is extra thick slices of Brioche Bread served with maple-butter syrup.  You can add fresh strawberries which he did.  My daughter stole some of his plate while this picture was being taken.  The bread takes like you are biting into a piece of tres leches cake.  This serving was huge.    

I did not know what to order with so many delicious options and recommendations.  We have never been to Grand Lux Café for breakfast or lunch.  As I was undecided my husband pointed out they have chicken and waffles and he knows I have been craving some.  That is what I ordered.  When placing my order the waitress asked if I had any allergies to nuts, specifically pecans.  I normally am the one asking or checking all the ingredients.  My waffles came topped with crispy fried chicken strips and pecan honey-butter sauce.  I really liked the flavor of the crisp on the fried chicken.

 My husband ordered the Buttermilk Pancakes.  He actually ordered this thinking they would be small but they were huge!  The pancakes were very fluffy.  (We loved the syrups that were served with these dishes.) 

For his main dish, he ordered the Chorizo and Cheese Omelette.  It had ground beef, Spanish chorizo, peppers, onions, tomato, cilantro, pepper-jack cheese and red chile hollandaise.  It was delicious.   

For our daughter, we ordered her the Kids' Mini Hamburgers that come with fries.  Everything comes on the side including the baby lettuce and tomatoes.  The burgers were her perfect size.

We invited to try the Grand Lux Cafe’s Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich which is served every day.  (photo courtesy of Grand Lux Cafe)  It is slow roasted short rib, caramelized and pickled onions, arugula and melted cheese on grilled country bread.  It is served with a Mixed Green Salad or French Fries, you choose.  I have to tell you never, ever, would I have ordered this.  Grilled cheese sandwich with rib?  Who does that?  Grand Lux Café does that and they do it very well!  It is so flavorful.  The arugula and the caramelized and pickled onions were my favorite.  My husband was very skeptical but after just one bite, he gave this dish two thumbs up.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day is coming on April 12, Grand Lux Cafe invites you come in and try their amazing Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the brunch menu and have another  Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Check out the rest of the menu at www.grandluxcafe.com.