Here's one I seved in glasses, just scoop it out and top with a little frsh whipped cream, I used challah or brioche bread. Chocolate Bread Pudding 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups milk 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped 3 cinnamon sticks (optional) 1 loaf brioche(about 1 pound, or you may substitute white bread) 12 ounces chopped Valrhona or other bittersweet chocolate, plus 1/2 ounce or 1/4 cup shavings for garnish 8 large egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar 1 container(8 ounces) Creme Fraiche Heat the oven to 325°. Place the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and pod, and cinnamon sticks, if using, in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes to infuse flavors. Cut the brioche into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut slices into quarters, setting aside the rounded top pieces. Fill a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or a deep oval roasting dish with the quartered pieces. Return the milk mixture to a boil, remove from heat, and discard vanilla pod and cinnamon sticks. Add chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture very slowly into egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until fully combined. Slowly pour half the chocolate custard over bread, making sure all the bread is soaked. Arrange the reserved bread on top in a decorative pattern, and press firmly so bottom layer of bread absorbs chocolate mixture. Spoon remaining custard over bread until completely covered and all cracks are filled. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dish; press down to soak bread thoroughly. Remove plastic, wipe edges of the dish with a damp towel, and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Place gratin dish in a larger pan; fill outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Whisk the crème fraîche until soft peaks form. Serve pudding warm, garnished with crème fraîche and chocolate shavings. NOTES : A nine-by-thirteen-inch glass baking dish may be used in place of a gratin dish. ------------------------------------------------- I've never made this but it looks nice served in a martini glass. I love zabaglione! Zabaglione with Strawberries (serves 4) 8 large egg yolks, at room temperature 3/4 cup dry marsala 1/2 cup sugar 1 pint strawberries, sliced Put the egg yolks, the marsala, and then the sugar into a large stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl over a large saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Using a hand-held electric mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat the egg-yolk mixture until it is hot and the mixture forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, 5 to 8 minutes. Don't cook the zabaglione for too long, or it will curdle. Put the strawberries in stemmed glasses or in bowls. Top with the hot zabaglione and either serve the dessert immediately or refrigerate it for up to an hour. NOTES : Serve the zabaglione hot, when it's just made, but if you want to prepare the dish ahead of time, mix the zabaglione with whipped cream and refrigerate it as described in the first variation below. Variations For a zabaglione that will last up to six hours in the refrigerator, add whipped cream. Beat half a cup of heavy cream just until it holds firm peaks. When the zabaglione is done, remove the bowl from the heat and continue beating until it's cool. Fold the cooled zabaglione into the whipped cream. Put the strawberries in bowls, top with the zabaglione, and refrigerate. Substitute blueberries, raspberries, or sliced peaches for the strawberries. Test-Kitchen Tip What you need to make zabaglione is, in effect, a double boiler that's wide enough to accommodate an electric mixer. This is easy to rig up with a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan. Food and Wine Magazine ------------------------------------- I've made this one, but I used a baking dish instead of ramekins. It could be scooped out and served in glasses. Caramel Apple Bread Pudding 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled and cut into matchsticks Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 1 day-old 8-ounce loaf brioche 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 3 large eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce: 2 cups sugar 1 cup heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon bourbon Heat oven to 325°. Place apples in a small bowl, and toss with lemon juice; set aside. Butter six 8-ounce ramekins or custard cups; place in a roasting pan. Cut brioche into eight slices, then quarter each slice; set brioche aside. In a large bowl, whisk together cream, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg. Add brioche, and toss to coat. Place 1 tablespoon caramel sauce into each ramekin. Add approximately 1/3 cup apple mixture, then 1/3 cup bread mixture. Add a second layer of sauce, apple, and bread. Carefully place the roasting pan on the center oven rack. Fill roasting pan with hot water to within 1/2 inch of ramekin tops. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Cook 20 minutes. Remove foil; cook 20 minutes more. Remove roasting pan from the oven, and transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes. Using a towel, invert ramekins onto serving platter. Serve warm with remaining caramel sauce on the side. CARAMEL VANILLA BOURBON SAUCE: Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Without stirring, cook mixture until dark amber in color, swirling the pan carefully while cooking, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add cream, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan, and add the pod. Add lemon juice, butter, and bourbon. Stir to combine. Cover, and store, refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring sauce to room temperature, or warm over low heat, before using. NOTES : My notes- I used a large baking dish and kept it covered for 30 minutes and then baked it for about 30 minutes more without the foil.

Wish I'd seen this earlier! I make my gelatin-set mousse cheesecakes upside down! Grease and paper-line the springform tin, bottom and sides. Make the filling and pour it into the tin. Let it set. Make the crumb crust, sprinkle over the "top" of the mousse and gently but firmly press it together with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate. To serve, loosen the sides and remove, then place the serving plate over the crumb crust and flip. Peel off the paper and voila! Garnish. It travels well this way too, as you can leave it in the pan until you arrive at your destination.

Houscrzy, aren't you fortunate that you KNOW that you have Celiac. It runs in DH's family and seems to hit in middle age. DH's brother developed it while he lived in CA and luckily they diagnosed him correctly right away. Then one of his sisters started having some symptoms. The doctors took out part of her colon and had all kinds of theories. By the time we saw her she had lost so much weight. I asked her, "Did you tell them your brother had Celiac Sprue?" and she hadn't even thought of that. (he had died, but not of Celiac)For heaven's sake! When they followed up on that they found that was, indeed, the problem. Then another sister developed it, but she knew what it was, right away, and was a lot smarter about it. It runs in families, and as I look at pictures of their ancestors, I can tell you who probably had it because several of them were so thin. Celiac is not nearly as rare as we thought it was, but it often goes undiagnosed, making people think it is a rare disease. I like making things with egg whites. Lately instead of those fat-laden cake frostings, I've been making 7-minute frosting. It was popular back in the 50's when I was growing up. It's been a "new discovery" for my grandson, who's never had it before. It is fluffy and creamy-tasting and holds well. My SIL used rice flour instead of wheat flour and did pretty well with it. I'll bet you could mill your own from just regular rice, or brown rice. Grainlady posts here, I'll bet she would have lots of ideas. SIL's biggest challenge was in going out to eat. She loved to do that. But almost always she'd get something she shouldn't have. She kept thinking she could have corn bread. Hardly anyone ever makes cornbread without at least SOME wheat flour, so she'd always pay the price. With Celiac, you do have to watch your diet very closely. Good luck and good health to you. I hope you continue to find ways to meet the challenge. --Ilene

Kathy, have you tried finding a mellower brand, or perhaps soaking/rinsing it to get rid of some of the saltiness? You might try a good goat cheese as a substitute.