Taliban Pudding

If you google the name "Taliban Pudding" you are not going to come up with a recipe.  The name came about in a way similar to that old game of telephone. One person says one thing and it gets repeated down the line and ends up something totally different. In this case we asked out chef what the creation was called and she answered perfectly accented "Torta de pan". Of course not familiar with it and lousy with accents we heard Torta liban which became Tort taliban.  Upon trying it we decided it was similar to bread pudding and then repeated the Tort taliban name we had assigned which prompted someone to declare oh, Taliban pudding. There you have it. Let's hope the CIA doesn't come looking for us!

Torta de Pan becomes Taliban Pudding

Omigod! I'm so nervous!

Fruit to boot!

Not too sweet or light for that matter!

Actually our baker worked very hard and was so worried that it would not be enjoyed but she had nothing to worry about.  This Torta de pan Colombiana is another specialty of Colombia and is like a baked bread pudding. It sure looked good - nicely baked with a golden brown crust - and once we dug in we really liked the fact that it was not that sweet.  It was dense but delicious. We did not hesitate to suggest maybe a little creme anglaise or some whipped cream for the next time but were informed that is not the traditional way it is served.  Who cares? Bring on the creams!

A little creme anglaise would finish it off nicely!

We're very grateful for the effort that went into this which was the third entry in cake week for the research assistants.  Due to a market adjustment they are all getting decent raises and immediately we thought of a great use for the extra dough...bring a cake!