Crush

I admitted recently to an obvious crush that I currently have in my life.  That's right....the Essential Baking Company.  It was one of the things I craved the most when I was in India. The rosemary bread with sea salt is at the top of the list.  Sliced, toasted, and topped with butter....oh, it's heaven, I tell you.   When I go camping I always take along a loaf of their raisin pecan bread.  I slice it up, make it happy with a generous dose of butter, wrap it in foil, and toss it on the campfire.   The raisins and the butter and all the other bits and pieces toast up to a caramel-brown slice of goodness.   This of course is always accompanied by a fresh cup of coffee.   These two items are on my top ten list for survival when camping.....
    I recently decided to get all daredevil and live on the edge...I actually bought their ciabatta bread.  I was shocked.  This simple, unassuming character that I have passed up on numerous occasions for the otherwise beautiful focacia, was delicious!  Crispy on the outside, soft, and yet chewy on the inside.  Yum.   The only down side is if you have leftovers.   I came home early from work tonight, on a beautiful, sunny Spring afternoon.   I was feeling quite lazy and didn't feel too much like cooking.   I decided I would have some ciabatta and curry red lentil soup with spinach.  Well, when I picked up the bread it was hard....as...a....rock. oh, no.  I thought..."maybe I could heat it in the oven?"  Well, I couldn't even get a knife through it, so that wasn't going to work.  Then...I had an idea.   I ripped it in half.  Yes, the inside was still soft.  So, I ripped it into pieces, like the size of small biscuits.   I mixed together 2 eggs, some vanilla soy milk, and some cinnamon and I made baby size ciabatta french toasts!   Oh, it wasn't pretty to look at, but it was delicious.   The spongy bits of bread soaked up the egg and the milk and the result was like bread pudding on the inside and toasted, maple syrup craziness on the outside.  It was so good I didn't even MAKE it to the table to sit down.  There I stood at my kitchen counter...with the sun beaming into my apartment, the Cowboy Junkies singing "Blue Moon" in the background....and I ate every last bit on my plate.   I guess the crush continues....