Holiday French Toast

If you get e-mail, most likely in the last few years you've been sent the "Recipe Exchange" e-mail, where you send a few strangers one of your favorite recipes and get a few new ones back. I'm always hesitant to participate in chain letters, even if it includes tastiness. But I did get a few gems from participating, and this is my adapted version of one:

Holiday French Toast

6 pieces bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk, cream, half and half, rice milk, soy milk or almond milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 t pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup orange juice
1 oz brandy
2 T butter
syrup

1) Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
2) Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, spices, orange juice and brandy in a pie pan, casserole dish, or other piece of bakeware convenient for soaking the bread.

3) Soak 2 pieces of bread at a time in the liquid.

4) Run your hand under water. Shake onto skillet. If it sizzles, your pan is ready.
5) Cook 2 pieces of toast at a time, flipping after a minute or two.

6) Serve with plenty of syrup. This toast goes well with Good Earth herbal tea.

Extra French toast can be frozen and reheated for a quick weekday breakfast.

Buttercream Frosting

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.

This makes a LOT of frosting, so you might consider making half if you're icing one cake or one batch of cookies.

• 4 large egg whites at room temperature for 30 minutes
• Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• food coloring (optional)
• 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• a candy thermometer

1) Combine whites and salt in a large bowl (your mixer if you have one). 

2) Stir together water and 1 1/3 cups sugar in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring. 

3) When syrup reaches a boil, start beating egg whites with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (see below for example).

4) Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat at medium speed until whites just hold soft peaks. (Do not beat again until sugar syrup is ready.) 

5) Put thermometer into sugar syrup and continue boiling until syrup registers 238 to 242°F. Immediately remove from heat and, with mixer at high speed, slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream into whites, beating constantly. 

6) Beat until meringue is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes in a standing mixer or 15 with a handheld. (It is important that meringue is properly cooled before proceeding.)

 7) This is the time to add food coloring if you are going to. 

8) With mixer at medium speed, gradually add butter 1 piece at a time. (Buttercream will look soupy after some butter is added if meringue is still warm. If so, briefly chill bottom of bowl in a bowl of ice water for a few seconds before continuing to beat in remaining butter.) 

9) Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all of butter is added but will come back together by the time beating is finished.) Add vanilla and beat 1 minute more.

 

10) Frost your cake, cupcakes, cookies. Place in refrigerator for half an hour to set frosting before serving.

You can refrigerate what you don't use for a week, or freeze it for a month. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature (without a microwave) before applying it.

Double-Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Warning: one of these brownies is too many and a million is not enough.

The comments on Epicurious* were right. These are amazing.

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 5 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules (I used more!) (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1) Put a cup of water in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer. Don't let it get crazy bubbling over -- just little bubbles. Preheat oven to 375.

2) Put the butter, chocolate and sugar in a large metal bowl (the mixer bowl if you have one). If you don't have a metal bowl, use a medium saucepan. Later you can transfer the melted chocolate and butter to a bowl for combining other ingredients.

3) Place the large metal bowl or saucepan over the bubbling water on the stove.

4) Combine your other ingredients in other bowls. Sugar, salt and espresso powder in one bowl, flour and chocolate chips in another.

Portions shown are for a double batch

5) Line a large casserole dish with buttered foil.

6) Stir your butter and chocolate until it's all deliciously melted together and looks like this:

 

7) Remove from heat and turn off burner. Mix chocolate and sugar mixtures together. It will look grainy like this:

8) Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.

9) Add flour and chocolate chips, mixing well.

10) Pour into baking dish.

10) Bake for 20 minutes. Check to see if top is beginning to harden and form small cracks. Test with knife. Small crumbs should come out when it is done, but not uncooked batter.

11) Enjoy!

These are great to freeze and pull out a day before a party.

Pumpkin Cake

(Two cakes are pictured, but this recipe is for one).

Recipe courtesy of The Blissful Table*. I highly recommend the cake recipe alone, even if you don't frost it or make it into a pumpkin like she does -- it's light and moist and very flavorful. Everything a cake should be!

Ingredients for bundt cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour (not the same as all-purpose)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

dash of nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk or homemade buttermilk substitute (see below), room temperature

1) If you are like most people and don't keep buttermilk on hand, prepare your substitute. You have plenty of options:

I used a cup of almond milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. It came out perfectly! I imagine soy and rice milk would do equally well.
You can also use regular milk and vinegar.
Or yogurt and vinegar.
If you have no vinegar, use lemon juice instead.
The idea is that vinegar supplies the tangyness that is so distinguishable in buttermilk recipes.

Prepare your buttermilk substitute and set aside.

2)  Preheat your oven to 350. Put your butter in the microwave on "defrost" setting for a minute or two, until it's about room temperature. If it's slightly melted, that's ok.


3) Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the  eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour into prepared bundt pan.

5) Bake at 350  for approximately 30 -35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then invert ONTO A PLATE and remove cake from pan.

If you don't flip it onto a plate, you will have a hard time getting it onto one. This cake is so moist it breaks if you try to pick it up. Cool completely.

Angela Pia

This tasty, bake-free holiday dessert, whose name translates to "pious angel," is rich, flavorful, and simple to make. The only ingredients you might not have on hand are whipping cream and unflavored gelatin.

I once heard that a major newspaper called for any recipe readers had for this lovely mousse-like dessert, which had once been the signature dish at a local restaurant that had closed. The paper received 300+ responses, and every single recipe was identical. What are the odds?


1 package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water cold
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream (1 cup)
1 oz brandy (2 oz if you have no rum)
1 oz dark rum (2 oz if you have no brandy)
1 tsp vanilla


Optional:
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted,

or
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings or dusting of cocoa powder

Method:

1. Sprinkle gelatin in the cold water in a heatproof dish and allow to soften about 5 minutes. Place dish in a hot water bath and stir to completely dissolve the gelatin.

2. Optional step (if you are serving children or people who choose not to consume alcohol): boil rum and brandy together for about five minutes to remove alcohol but maintain flavor.

3. Beat egg yolks in a large bowl until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until thick and pale. Beat in brandy and rum. Add gelatin and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

4. Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside.

5. Whip the cream and vanilla to soft peaks.

6. Fold into the egg mixtures. Spoon into individual serving bowls with a ladle to avoid drips, and refrigerate covered for at least two hours or overnight.

Optional: Garnish with sliced, toasted almonds, shaved chocolate, or a dash of cocoa powder, or any combination. Crushed candy canes would be good too!

Key Lime or Lemon Meringue Pie

* You will need a baked pie crust*. If you want to skip that step, place a package of graham crackers in a gallon plastic bag with 2 T melted butter and mash into crumbs. If it's still dry, add more melted butter. Line pie pan with it. It's good!

Pie filling:
1/2 cup key lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 T cornstarch
3 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
1 1/2 cups sugar
water
2 T butter
1/2 t salt
green or yellow food coloring (optional)
lime or lemon zest (optional)

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar (I don't think this is crucial)
1/2 cup sugar

1) Boil 1.5 cups water
2) Place lime/lemon juice, 1.5 cups sugar, corn starch, egg yolks, 1/2 cup cold water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Mix well. Add 1.5 cups boiling water. Turn on heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until it looks kinda like this on your whisk:

3) Take off heat and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
4) Preheat oven to 350.

5) Beat egg whites on high until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating. Add remaining sugar gradually, mixing until soft peaks form, and it looks kind of like this:

 

If you want to make fancy peaks with your meringue, continue beating until sharp peaks form.
6) When your pie filling has cooled for 20 or more minutes, pour into pie crust.

7) Spread meringue gently on top of pie.

8) Bake for 15 minutes.
9) Allow to cool completely (probably at least an hour) before cutting and serving. Can be refrigerated.

Part Two: Tiramisu

I usually don't make things that require a special trip to the store. But today I am.

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (8-oz) container mascarpone cheese (1 cup) - some variations use cream cheese instead
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups very strong brewed coffee or brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine (or rum, or coffee liqueur)
• 18 savoiardi (crisp Italian ladyfingers, see this post)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Prepare the lady fingers. Make a pot of double-brewed coffee and store in the fridge. (These can be done a day ahead if you like. Store lady fingers in the freezer.)

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Beat in mascarpone until just combined. 

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks.  For some reason my whites just did not want to fluff up ... we'll see if it affects the end product.

Beat cream in another bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks. 

Fold cream into mascarpone mixture gently but thoroughly, then fold in whites. 

Stir together coffee and Marsala (or coffee liqueur) in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 ladyfinger in coffee mixture, soaking it about 4 seconds on each side, and transfer to an 8-inch glass baking dish (2-quart capacity). Repeat with 8 more ladyfingers and arrange in bottom of dish, trimming as needed to fit snugly. Spread half of mascarpone mixture evenly over ladyfingers:

Make another layer in same manner with remaining ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture. Chill tiramisu, covered, at least 6 hours. 

Just before serving, sprinkle with chocolate (I did it before refrigerating, whoops)

The result: a little runny, probably because my egg whites didn't fluff up. But really tasty!!

Part One: Savoiardi/Lady Fingers

JT and I love tiramisu, so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

But where to find crisp lady fingers? I'll have to make them. In an infrequent abandonment of Epicurious, I used this AllRecipes version.

Ingredients:

4 eggs 2/3 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten free!)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.	Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 of the sugar and all of the vanilla. Beat until very light colored. This will take about 5 minutes.
3.	In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until they hold soft peeks. While beating, slowly add the salt and the remaining sugar until combined. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
4.	Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in.
5.	Fill a gallon plastic bag with the batter. If you're fancy, you can use your fancy pastry bag. Cut a 1/2 inch hole in the bottom corner of the bag and pipe 3 1/2 inch fingers, 1 1/2 inches apart, in rows on the parchment paper.
6.	Bake at 375 degrees for about 13 minutes, or until firm to the touch and golden. Watch out, just 30 seconds too long might ruin a whole batch, so start watching carefully around 10 minutes, as all ovens vary. When done, lift the paper from the baking sheet and place on racks to cool. After cooling, remove fingers from the paper and use, or store between layers of the parchment paper you just baked them on, in a airtight container. These freeze well.

The result?

I hope I have enough left for tomorrow's Tiramisu....

Update! I have tried this recipe with gluten-free flour and it comes out marvelously! Just be sure to use a sifter when adding the flour to the egg mixture. Now all those poor celiacs who have been deprived can experience the joy of Tiramisu.