Culinary Fiction & Food Talk with Stacey Ballis (#26)

Guest: Author, Stacey Ballis

I’m in conversation with author Stacey Ballis of culinary literature fame. In this episode I learn about Stacey’s most important food mentor and how she managed to publish her first novel seemingly with little effort. Who does this? And she shares a great recipe for Tomato Pudding with me. All in all a fun conversation.

Tomato Pudding
Serves 8

2 cups dried bread cubes, crusts removed
1 stick melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup orange juice
1 large beefsteak tomato or 3 roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the dried bread cubes in a casserole dish. Pour melted butter over them; toss to combine. Combine brown sugar, tomato puree, orange juice in a saucepan. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour hot mixture over bread cubes. Layer a thin layer of tomatoes over the top, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until puffy and the corners of the bread cubes are browned, 35-40 minutes.
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