For a party dessert, offer several spreads and let guests fill their own brownie layers at the “brownie bar.” You can ask others who want to pitch in to bake different types of brownies. In addition to the original chocolate brownie, consider blondies, butterscotch brownies and peanut butter brownies. Guests on gluten-free diets can bring gluten-free brownies.

Multiple brownie flavors allow for mix-and-match: a blondie top with a brownie bottom, for example.

Bake the brownies using one of these techniques:

 
For special occasions, you can use a cookie cutter to make shapes—for example, hearts for Valentine’s Day. Stick the leftover scraps in a freezer and use them on sundaes or for snacking.
 
BROWNIE SANDWICH PARTY

Guests fill the “sandwich” with their spread(s) of choice. We have more than 30 suggestions; all can be homemade or purchased. Unless you want to go crazy, select six or so options.

TOP PHOTO: Brownie sandwich with pistachio filling. Get the recipe at SprinkleOf Cinnamon.com. BOTTOM PHOTO: Peanut butter-filled brownie sandwich. Here’s the recipe from SallysBakingAddiction.com.

Its parent company, Urbanspace, “cultivates creatively rich environments, places where local makers collaborate, exchange ideas, and showcase their wares.”

Why run all over New York City to find what’s hot and trending when here, in one space, some 20 food artisans sell their wares?

We were one of a group of lucky food writers who were invited to taste a sample from every boutique for weekend brunch.

And what a brunch it was: a memorable buffet of delicious, modern casual fare that can accommodate almost anyone’s diet (mainstream, Paleo, vegan and vegetarian).

In fact, if we were planning a wedding or other big party, we’d rent out the entire space and let our guests go from bay to bay, assembling their ideal feast.

Here’s what we had. We’re leaving out the adjectives because everything listed would get a superlative. Alas, we filled up to bursting before we could taste everything that was served, so apologies to those we didn’t get to. We shall return.
 
WHAT WE ATE…AND ATE…AND ATE

 
AND MORE

TOP PHOTO: Scones from Ovenly. BOTTOM PHOTO: Tomato, Sausage & Sage Pizza from Roberta’s. Photo by Deirdre Schoo.

 
AND MORE
There’s also a Featured Mashup, when two vendors collaborate on a dish. This month, Dough Donuts and Mayhem & Stout created a Pulled Pork Glazed Doughnut, the hefty glazed donut generously topped with pulled pork and served with a house-made barbecue sauce and maple brown sugar hot sauce.

Here we have to use an adjective: memorable.

TOP PHOTO: Pulled Pork Glazed Donut. Photo
courtesy Mayhem & Stout. BOTTOM PHOTO:
Deconstructed Niçoise Salad. Photo courtesy
Maiden Lane.

UrbanSpace Vanderbilt is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily:

 
The address is 230 Park Avenue (the Helmsley Building), but don’t look for an entrance there. The entrance is on Vanderbilt Avenue between 45th and 46th Street.

Go to 45th or 46th Street and head to Vanderbilt, which is east of Madison Avenue and west of Lexington Avenue. Lost? Call 212-529-9262.

This is part of the annoying New York real estate developer habit of using the most prestigious address allowable by the Buildings Department, even though there’s no entrance at that address (it’s around the corner on a less-prestigiously-named street). You won’t find any door to the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue, either. The entrance is on East 45th Street.

In a neighborhood where premium casual fare is hard to find, UrbanSpace Vanderbilt is a welcome addition:

 
The place was packed!

Dessert lovers know the comfort of a rich bread pudding, a way to top yesterday’s bread with custard and cook it in a casserole dish into something sublime. (“Casserole” has a broad definition: simply, a side dish or stew cooked slowly in an oven.)

Leave out the sugar and you have a savory custard, to be served as a side with dinner.

Bread pudding originated in the 11th or 12th century as a way to use stale bread. Pieces of bread were cut or torn, combined with other ingredients (cheese, onions, mushrooms and other vegetables, bits of meat), topped with custard, and then baked until the top was set but the inside was soft and creamy.

 
But the great thing about bread pudding is that you can use any bread or a mixture of breads. In other words, if you have leftover baguette, challah, and cornbread, toss them together.

The following recipe is from La Brea Bakery, which suggests it to accompany the Thanksgiving turkey or any roasted meats. They make it with their Organic Rustic French Loaf.
 
 
RECIPE: LA BREA BAKERY SAVORY BREAD PUDDING WITH APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON

Prep time is 60 minutes, and cook time is 120 minutes.

Ingredients For Nine 3″x3″ Pieces

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

2. CUT the bread into 1” cubes, removing the crust; place in a large bowl. Pour the chicken stock over the bread and stir to wet all cubes. Allow the mixture to sit for a half hour, stirring occasionally to be sure all the liquid is absorbed.

3. CHOP the chestnuts coarsely. While waiting for the bread to soak, place a medium pan over medium heat and add the bacon and chestnuts. Stir occasionally and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is golden but not yet crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.

[2] Spinach and garlic bread pudding. While most recipes blend the bread with the other ingredients, in this version it sits on top. It makes for a prettier presentation. Here’s the recipe, from Food & Wine.

[3] Pumpkin bread pudding with Bourbon sauce (photo © Go Bold With Butterz).

[4] Applewood smoked bacon and Italian parsley flavor in this savory bread pudding recipe at left (photo © La Brea Bakery).

5. SPRAY the inside of a 9” baking pan with cooking spray and fill it with the bread mixture, making sure to spread evenly to fill the pan and create a level top surface. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

6. SERVE immediately or allow to cool completely for serving later. If serving later, reheat by covering with foil and place in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Chef Gerard Viverito is a culinary instructor and operator of Saveur Fine Catering, a company whose beliefs and center on local, sustainable and organic foods. He has a passion to teach others how to cook more healthfully.

Here’s what he shared with us regarding preparation of a healthier Thanksgiving meal.

1. Buy a turkey that is 100% bird.

Order an organic pasture-raised bird from a butcher or a local farmer. Most store-bought frozen turkeys have been injected with a solution made from added sugar, salt and artificial flavorings, that increases their weight by up to 12%. Look closely: These birds must be labeled as “basted,” “marinated” or “injected.” Additives are not allowed in fresh turkeys.

2. Ditch the boxed stuffing.

That familiar stuffing in the red box contains partially hydrogenated oil, the primary source of trans fats. Nix all the prepackaged stuffings—many contain trans fats or other unhealthy ingredients—and pick up some day-old bread. Have the kids help by tearing the bread into pieces the night before. Create a family tradition with homemade stuffing.

Refrigerated dough products including crescent rolls often contain partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), as well as emulsifiers such as monoglycerides and diglycerides which may also contain trans fats. Easy drop biscuits take just 15 minutes to make and require just a handful of ingredients.

Another thought: With all the food on the Thanksgiving table and rich desserts to follow, do you really need bread?

Make your own pie crusts. Store-bought
crusts often contain trans fats. Photo
courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

Don’t take the easy way out and use instant potato flakes. They may also contain trans fats.

Chef Gerard suggests a move beyond mashed potatoes to mashed root vegetables. If your crowd is sophisticated or health conscious, they may actually prefer it.

Cook a medley of potatoes, parsnips and celery root, flavored with garlic and nutmeg, and mash away.

Avoid the gravy packets

Many powdered gravy mixes contain partially hydrogenated oils as well as monosodium glutamate, disodium inosinate and artificial colors. Prepare your own gravy by whisking a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into the turkey drippings.

Don’t Buy Prepared Crusts

Frozen pie crusts are one of the worst trans fat offenders. If cake is a family favorite, beware of trans fat-rich canned frosting.

Thanks, Chef Gerard!

This recipe, from Heidi of FoodieCrush, not only adds the pumpkin, but tops the bread pudding with a bourbon pecan sauce.

Says Heidi: “With bourbon pecan and caramelized pecans topping a bread pudding made from cinnamon-raisin bread, this dessert is destined to become a classic.”

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 60 minutes.

See the history of bread pudding below.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH
BOURBON PECAN SAUCE

Ingredients For 8-10 servings

For The Bread Pudding

  
For The Bourbon Pecan Sauce

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter.

2. WHISK together the eggs, heavy cream, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl, stirring until smooth.

[2] Pastry chefs at top restaurants make pumpkin bread pudding, too. This upscale treatment, with crème fraiche ice cream and rum-spiced cherries, is from Chef Toni Roberts. Here’s the recipe (photo © Star Chefs).

4. MAKE the bourbon pecan sauce: Add the cream, egg yolks and sugar to 2-quart saucepan and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture thinly coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let the mixture stand, stirring often as it cools. Meanwhile…

5. MELT the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the pecans. Cook 4-5 minutes or until the butter browns and exudes a nutty aroma. Stir the browned butter and the pecans into the cream mixture. Stir in the whiskey.

6. SERVE the bread pudding warm, drizzled with the bourbon pecan sauce. The sauce may be made a day in advance and refrigerated.
 

Bread pudding, a dish created to use stale bread (as were French toast and fondue among others), has humble roots. But it has evolved into an American comfort food that you can find at diners and upscale eateries alike, made simply or elaborately.

Food historians trace the history of bread pudding to the early 11th and 12th centuries, as frugal cooks looked for ways to use stale, leftover bread instead of letting it go to waste. In 13th century England, bread pudding was known as “poor man’s pudding,” as it was a popular dish with the lower classes.

The dish consists of cubes of bread and any added ingredients (raisins, chocolate chips citrus zest and so on), covered with custard sauce and cooked. It can be made in the oven, stove top, a crock pot, microwave or grill.

We often buy a challah, just to have day-old bread for bread pudding. We also love a cinnamon-raisin loaf, as used in this recipe.

And don’t forget the booze: Grand Marnier or other liqueur, rum or whiskey.