Bread Pudding

Lutie Shade of Timonium was looking for a recipe for bread pudding that has a layer of custard on the bottom, similar to the one her mother used to make. Avis McLeod of Rogers, Ariz., sent in a recipe for Pioneer Bread Pudding that she has been making for her family for many years. Her recipe comes from the Women's Home Companion Cookbook, first published in 1946. The master recipe is for a very basic bread pudding, but the book offers several variations, including butterscotch, fruit, mocha, chocolate and even marble bread puddings.

A bread pudding "like that served at the Belvedere Easter brunch in 1997," was the request of Alice of Catonsville. "It took me back 30 years. I've looked in every cookbook I've collected, and I can't find a simple recipe for this pudding that brought back pleasant memories," she wrote. Her response, chosen by tester Laura Reiley, was unsigned.Marianne V. Hughes of Baltimore requested a recipe for sugar cookies like those made by the Otterbein Bakery. "They used to have a small bakery shop off Northern Parkway that has been closed.

I remember going to the Sunset as a youngster with my family. A client of my father's had a custom of giving Sunset gift certificates for the holidays. Always a special occasion.My father and I went back to the Sunset on a recent Friday night, and the restaurant was as special as I remembered. The appetizers were delicious, the entree portions more than filling and the desserts sinful.I called an hour or two ahead and was told the wait for a table would be a few minutes. We used those 15 or so minutes to admire the tiffany lamps, hardwood walls, etched glass and, opposite the bar, two pictures of Miss America pageants, circa the 1940s.

As the world fills up with more and more coffee bars, Yvonne Dornic, owner of Ze Mean Bean Cafe, has made a wise decision. She's changing her funky little Fells Point coffee bar into a full-scale restaurant.Oh, you can still linger over a latte here while you listen to live music nightly. And the Slavic specialties (pierogi, goulash, Polish cabbage and mushroom soup) are still on the menu. What's new is chef Kevin Miller, who's added a full dinner menu to the mix with dishes like roasted duck breast and Moroccan lamb stew.

You know the holidays are here when eggnog starts flowing. '' Velvety smooth and rich with eggs, cream and nutmeg, served cold, "straight up," over ice or with a splash of rum or brandy, it puts the holiday cheer into any gathering.Because the eggnog flavor is so popular but somewhat limited in what's to be done with it, I thought it would be fun to create some different recipes using this old-time favorite.Nowadays, there are several different varieties available during the season, with most dairies offering "ultra" or "gourmet" eggnog and a nonfat or low-fat version as well as their standard product.

Bertha Ann Davis followed a simple philosophy during her 15 years in the restaurant business: For five days a week you can work to earn a meal, but on Fridays you have to pay."She believed that, and she followed that strictly," said daughter Anita Turner of Baltimore. "She expected you to pay at least one day a week. But if you didn't have anything, she'd still feed you."Ms. Davis, who owned Bert's Place on North Gay Street in East Baltimore from the late 1960s until 1982, died Friday of cancer at her home on North Chester Street.

At seaside tavernas in the Greek islands, it's not uncommon to pick out exactly what you'd like prepared for dinner from a display of whole raw fish.You can have the same experience at the Greek Islands restaurant in Highlandtown - at least on weekends. Michael Katsaros and his sons, George and Emanuel, have fish from Greece and the Mediterranean region flown in from a New York distributor every Friday. Since we visited midweek, we didn't have the option of choosing from the raw-fish display.

Going, going, going ... bad. It doesn't matter what your budget is - nobody likes to throw out food. But what do you do with three tablespoons of cream, half a pint of strawberries, a stale chunk of bread or 12 corn tortillas?Chances are you can turn yesterday's castoffs into tonight's dinner with ingredients you already have on hand.Leftovers need not produce inferior dishes. In fact, homemade stock made from meat or poultry bones and vegetables is vastly superior to what you can buy.Chef Tim Penn uses day-old bread as a thickener in chilled yellow tomato soup.

The hostess leads us into Linwood's handsome dining room, all dark wood and sleek curves. When we reach our table, I look down and spend a moment admiring it. This is a roomy table set for serious eating. The linen is good quality, white and spotless, the napkins folded simply. The silverware, a plain pattern, looks pleasingly heavy. The china is classic white; the glassware, clean-lined. No flowers or candles. A real pepper grinder sits next to the salt shaker.I like this table so much it almost makes up for the fact that we've been seated as close as possible to the kitchen door -- even though it's a rainy Tuesday night and the restaurant isn't nearly half full.

When Nancy Charvat of Abingdon served bread pudding at a recent dinner party, her guests -- most of whom remember Howdy Doody and the Cold War -- immediately were drawn back in time."

Karen Roach of Catonsville was looking for the Diet Workshop recipe for bread pudding. She said it was great for breakfast. Phyllis Seward of Glen Burnie sent in a recipe from a Diet Workshop recipe booklet she had, and it sounds like it could be the one that Roach wanted. Considering this bread pudding is made with thin sliced bread, skim milk and artificial sweetener, it is surprisingly tasty. If last week's Bread Pudding With Lemon Sauce was too high in calories for you, this recipe is worth trying.

Kristine Kelly-Kaplan of Frackville, Pa., was looking for the recipe for a bread pudding with a warm, creamy sauce similar to the one that she and her family enjoyed so much on a visit to Walt Disney World in Florida. Mary Pat Wadzinski of Johnsburg, Ill., thought she might have the recipe that Kelly-Kaplan was looking for. It comes from a cookbook that she purchased on a visit to Disney World. This bread pudding is delicious and not too heavy or too sweet. The warm, lemony sauce is a nice addition.

When restaurant critic Elizabeth Large asked for favorite desserts on her dining blog (baltimoresun .com/diningatlarge), we were struck by how many people love bread pudding. We decided to try four from local restaurants. Because most of those we sampled were made in advance, we called ahead, then noted the time it took to get the dessert once we turned up at the restaurant. Linwoods 25 Crossroads Drive, Owings Mills -- 410-356-3030 Hours --Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; Dinner: 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays In and out in --7 minutes Though tasty, this chocolate bread pudding, $8.40, was not what we expected.

Lutie Shade of Timonium was looking for a recipe for bread pudding that has a layer of custard on the bottom, similar to the one her mother used to make. Avis McLeod of Rogers, Ariz., sent in a recipe for Pioneer Bread Pudding that she has been making for her family for many years. Her recipe comes from the Women's Home Companion Cookbook, first published in 1946. The master recipe is for a very basic bread pudding, but the book offers several variations, including butterscotch, fruit, mocha, chocolate and even marble bread puddings.

Sitting at a quiet table in Cafe Hon's side room, Nina and Tim Zagat have just gotten the bad news. "We're all out of Hon buns," the waitress tells them. These are the cinnamon buns as big as a baby's head, the signature dish of the Hamp-den eatery. The publishers of the slim, burgundy-colored, instantly recognizable Zagat restaurant guides have dropped in for an old-fashioned Baltimore breakfast. Only their definition of breakfast isn't the same as most people's. The Zagats are in Baltimore for one day only -- really half a day -- to promote the just-published 2007 Zagat Washington D.C. / Baltimore Survey.

The wisteria was in bloom recently at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley. And we're talking inside the place! A large wisteria "tree" -- actually, a close facsimile thereof created by P.W. Feats -- served as the centerpiece for one of the decorated tables at the 14th Annual Great Chefs' Dinner. The Family Tree event not only brings in a top chef to whip up a grand five-course meal for the sellout crowd, but local designers pitch in, too. Each decorates a table seating 10, so the evening offers a feast for the eyes, as well.

BREAD PUDDING IS one of those dishes that starts out being functional - a good way to use day-old bread - and ends up being delectable - a dessert crowds crave. Russell L. Jackson found that out recently. Jackson makes a mean bread pudding. It is moist without being gummy; sweet without being sugary and is topped with a refreshing peach glaze. Jackson used to bake the bread pudding about once a week at three Baltimore shelters, the Baltimore Station on West Street, Bright Hope House on Baker Street and the Job and Housing Recovery center in Walbrook Junction, where he is food services manager.

Bless Morris Martick. As the 79-year-old chef approaches his eighth decade, he's still turning out some of the tastiest, most eclectic Gallic-inspired chow in Baltimore. And he's preparing it by himself in the un-air-conditioned kitchen of the 19th-century townhouse where he was born. "When they repealed Prohibition in 1932, we were the first people in Baltimore to get a liquor license," he says. "We started out as a grocery store in 1917, but we were really bootleggers." Which would explain why his eponymous restaurant feels like a speakeasy.

Chocolate is like a red rose on Valentine's Day: a sweetly romantic yet undeniably conventional choice. The heart-shaped candy box, beloved by sweethearts since Victorian times, is such a best seller that the day ranks as the single biggest of the year for the chocolate business. Just because its popularity is proven, though, doesn't mean chocolate has to be predictable. Chocolate can be far more sophisticated, even surprising, than the traditional box of treats. Nowadays, as chefs look for creative ways to use a classic flavor, chocolate is making some unexpected culinary appearances.

Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu aimed at younger tastes, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal that employs a cost-cutting strategy, a meatless or "less meat" dish for people who may not be strict vegetarians but are trying to cut down on meat, an express meal that requires little or no preparation, and an entertaining menu that's quick. SUNDAY / Family Make Pineapple-Pork Kebabs for the family.