Adaptive Reuse - "Strudel"

In architecture and urban planning, the term "adaptive reuse" means taking a structure and using it for a purpose other than which it was originally intended (think of an old church that is now a restaurant or bar). Since too much food is wasted in this world, we can, and should, apply this term to the things we eat (or can't stand to eat, in this case).

While shopping the other day in the Polish supermarket, I happened to come upon a delicious looking golden brown loaf overflowing with stuffed cherries and, what looked like a sweet cheese filling. I am thinking, WIN. I pick it up, take it home, and dig in.



It was disgusting. Really disgusting. Not only was the bread dry as a bone, but there was literally no sweetness to the loaf or the cherries (bland cherries, the shame!). And that cheese stuff, yeah well, it was undercooked dough or... something else. I am not going to speak for the brand, I am hoping it was just a stale dud.

In any case, I had a whole loaf of nasty on my hands. I tried warming the bread up with butter, sticking pieces of chocolate inside, but nothing could fix it. Many people would just throw it out, feed it to the birds (or in-laws) but I could not give up on it! I had an idea!



First thing was to dry that tasteless brick out. We sliced it up and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the slices were hard as a rock. For the recipe, it was a toss-up between bread pudding or french toast. Either would probably work (it couldn't taste worse, right?)

We went with french toast. Instead of eggs, we mixed vegan egg replacer (find it in the health food store), vanilla, soy milk, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Then we dipped those neutral food sticks into the mix, and fried them up.



They came out looking exactly like french toast (maybe a little browner than normal). I had a taste right away: mildly disappointing but not totally bad. After the slices were gussied up with butter and maple syrup, the slices tasted much better. While the dryness and blandness of the original loaf was still present in the eating experience, the end result was actually a pretty good breakfast. Overall, I think we feel good about the choice to refit the bread. It was better than wasting it, and we created a brand new meal from its parts.

Next time you buy something disappointing or tasteless at the market (like those Panetone loafs around Christmas) take a step back and try something creative to save yourself some grief (and money).



Love,

The Two Gavones