French Toast Breakfast Bake with Glazed Apples

Here is an idea I sometimes use when serving a large breakfast or brunch crowd that won't have you chained to the stove flipping french toast all morning. You can serve any berry compote or fresh fruit or berries on top or as shown here, with these delicious glazed apples.

Serves 6

5 cups bread cubes (Use any good quality bread. I’ve used Brioche here but French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Toss in the bread cubes in an even layer. Sprinkle the bread cubes with the rum soaked raisins along with the rum that they were soaked in. Sprinkle the bread cubes and raisins with

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Whisk together:

½ cup whipping cream
½ cup milk
6 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Bake in a 370 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the center is fully cooked. Serve with glazed apples.

Glazed Apples

Peel and cut into thick slices

8 large apples

In a large skillet melt

1/3 cup butter

Add
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup light brown sugar

Cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly. Add the apples and sauté until the apples are just fork tender but not mushy; they should still be semi-firm in texture. Remove from heat. The idea here is to let the residual heat to partly cook the apples. Drain the apples in a colander for about a half hour, collecting the juice and syrup that drains off.

Return the juice and syrup that has drained off the cooked apples to the sauté pan and simmer over medium heat until the sauce gets very thick. In a large bowl, gently toss this sauce with the cooked apples and spoon onto the top of the French toast bake.

Recipe Revisit: Turkey, Turkey and Oh Yeah Turkey

I may be one of the few who doesn't tire of turkey at the holiday season; I'm in for any turkey meal. Just in case you still have some of the festive fowl still hanging around the fridge, here are a few suggestions to make a meal from the leftovers:

Deep Fried Turkey
http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/deep-fried-turkey_15.html

Turkey Pot Pie
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/turkey%20pot%20pie

Turkey Parmesan Baked Rotini
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/turkey-parmesan-baked-rotini.html

Turkey Stew
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/04/turkey-stew.html

Savoury Biscuits for Turkey Stew
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/08/savoury-biscuits.html

Turkey Agnolotti Soup
http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/10/turkey-agnolotti-soup.html

Chocolate Hummingbird Cheesecake

Chocolate Hummingbird Cheesecake

A little while back we featured a Carrot Cake Cheesecake that showed a cheesecake top baked at the same time on a cake base. This recipe is one that I came up with as another example of this method. I thought that a banana pecan cake like a hummingbird cake would make an excellent base for a a chocolate cheesecake and indeed it did turn out very well. My neighborhood taste testers gave this one very high marks. I think it would make a very nice dessert at any holiday meal.

Hummingbird Cake Base:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup roughly chopped toasted pecans

(Toast pecans for 5 minutes at 350 degrees for 5 minutes tossing twice before chopping)

• 2 small bananas, ripe but firm NOT MUSHY (cut in quarters lengthways and cubed)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp butterscotch flavoring (optional)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Grease the paper as well and dust the pan lightly with flour.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Mix the sugars, eggs and oil until light and fluffy. Fold in the dry ingredients until not quite completely mixed. Finally fold in the chopped nuts and chopped bananas. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Chocolate Cheesecake Top

• 1 pound cream cheese
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup cocoa
• ½ cup whipping cream

Blend together cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa. Add the eggs one at a time blending until smooth after each addition. Finally blend in the whipping cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Spoon the cheesecake mixture evenly over the Hummingbird Cake batter in the springform pan and bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before removing it to a serving plate. Garnish with chocolate ganache and toasted pecans if desired.

Chocolate Ganache

Melt together in a double boiler:

• 1 cup chocolate chips 
• ¼ cup whipping cream

A few more Christmas baking suggestions.

Cherry Pound Cake

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/cherry-pound-cake.html

Cherry Pecan Cake

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/cherry-pecan-cake.html

Dark Fruit Cake

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/dark-fruit-cake.html

Apricot Raisin Cake

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/apricot-raisin-cake.html

Chocolate Truffles

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/chocolate-truffles.html

Partridgeberry Inside-Out Cupcakes

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/partridgeberry-inside-out-cupcakes.html

Triple Ginger Gingerbread Cake

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/02/triple-ginger-gingerbread-cake.html

Mediterranean Chicken Wellington

Today we have a great recipe for dinner entertaining that is particularly good for the holiday season because it can be prepared well in advance and just popped into the oven for about 45 minutes before serving. Serve it with a simple rice or pasta side dish and you've got a very impressive meal to serve your guests that doesn't have you stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying the merriment.


1 pkg. (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 large boneless chicken breasts
4 ounces feta cheese
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried oregano)
½ cup chopped, pitted kalamata olives
Salt and pepper to season
1 egg
2 tbsp cold water

Butterfly the chicken breasts by laying them flat on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut half way through the meat horizontally, stopping at about ½ inch from the edge and before you cut them completely in half. Fold the breasts open and season with salt and pepper. Share the feta, olives, oregano and sun-dried tomatoes evenly among the 4 breasts and fold the other half of the breasts back over the filling.

Cut the puff pastry sheets in half and wrap a stuffed chicken breast in each piece. Brush all the edges of the pastry with an egg wash of 1 egg whisked together with 2 tbsp cold water. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the pastries as well and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until the pastries are a medium golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 180 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Blackberry White Chocolate Galette

I had to get a dessert together quickly for an impromptu dinner with my visiting sister from Alberta this week and decided on this very quick and easy dessert. I think it will probably make a great holiday entertaining recipe for all those inevitable occasions when you don't have a lot of time to throw together a dinner on short notice. Substitute your favourite fresh berries or other fruits for a myriad of variations.

Serves 6

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 pint whipped cream
8 oz white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint blackberries
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

Fold ½ inch of the edge of the puff pastry toward the center all around the outer edge of the puff pastry. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and use a fork to poke holes in the dough in about a dozen places over the surface of the dough. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure the bottom of the pastry had browned sufficiently before removing it from the oven to cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and set aside to cool almost to room temperature.
Meanwhile, whip the whipping cream and vanilla to firm peaks. Fold the melted white chocolate gently into the whipped cream and spoon the mixture over the pastry. Place the berries over the top and sprinkle the galette with the lemon zest.

Sundried Tomato Bacon Burgers

Sundried Tomato Bacon Burgers

Sometimes nothing beats a good burger. My burger cravings are never going to be satisfied by the lack luster offerings of all of the fast food chains. For the most part, I am a big burger purist, preferring to make my own very simple hamburgers. I'm not fond of homemade burgers with loads of fillers; I prefer an all beef burger to be enjoyed purely on the virtues of the flavour of the beef. Most often salt and pepper are the only additions to my hamburger patties.

My burger purist sensibilities are in no way offended by this recipe however. This sort of Italian version of a burger is absolutely delicious and the flavours of garlic, oregano, tomato and parmesan go very well with the flavour of the beef. I sometimes make these with a couple of ounces of mozzarella or cheddar tucked into the center of the burgers to make a sort of inside out cheeseburger. Mozza and marinara sauce also make very good additions to these great burgers.

Makes 4-6 burgers

2 ½ pounds extra lean ground beef

1 tsp oregano
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan
¼ cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1 clove finely minced garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and form into 4-6 burger patties. Grill or pan fry as desired. Serve on large Kaiser buns with your favourite burger toppings.

Lemon Coconut Crumble Bars

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Lemon Coconut Crumble Bars

This is a very old family recipe of mine but I have often seen them in local bakeries across Newfoundland. I have often seen versions without the coconut but we always had them with coconut in our family. Many people use a packaged lemon pie filling in their versions but I like to make my own from scratch. This recipe works well with other citrus fruits like orange and lime as well.

Lemon Coconut Crumble Bars

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Lemon Coconut Crumble Bars - a 35+ year old family recipe that combines coconut and tangy lemon filling in a buttery crumble bar cookie. Freezes quite well too.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: About 36 bar cookies
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups dried coconut, medium cut
• pinch salt
• 1 cup butter, cut in small pieces
• FOR THE LEMON FILLING
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• Zest of 2 large (or 3 small) lemons, very finely chopped
• Juice of 2 large (or 3 small) lemons
• 2 cups water
• 3 tbsp butter
• pinch salt

Directions

1. TO MAKE THE LEMON FILLING combine the corn starch, salt, cake flour, sugar and water in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Pour about 1/2 cup of the thickened mixture over the beaten egg yolks and whisk together quickly. This tempers the egg yolks so that they do not scramble.
4. Pour this mixture back into the pot and whisk it in quickly. Return the pot to the heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and evenly smooth.
5. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest and remove from the heat.
6. Finally whisk in the butter and set aside to cool while you prepare the crumble mixture.
7. FOR THE CRUMBLE sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, coconut and salt.
8. Using your hands or a pastry blender cut in the butter until the it is completely incorporated into the dry ingredients.
9. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch well greased baking pan. Pour the lemon filling evenly over the bottom crumbs. Gently sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the lemon filling and press down gently.
10. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until light golden brown in color. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and serving.

Tortellini with Chicken in Spicy Blush Puttanesca Sauce

This is another great work week recipe to serve on busy days when you can really use a 30 minute meal idea. For flavour, I'd stack this recipe up against any dish you'd spend hours slaving over. Very satisfying!

Serves 4

Boil for 12-14 minutes in a large pot of salted water:

1 large package of fresh cheese stuffed tortellini

Season with salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Grill the chicken breasts until fully cooked and cut in cubes.

For the sauce:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 medium tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 medium red onion diced
½ cup chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 roasted red pepper diced
½ tsp chilli flakes or 2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
3 tbsp chopped capers (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
½ cup whipping cream
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for about a minute. Add the olives, tomatoes, brown sugar, chilli flakes, anchovy paste and capers and cook until the tomatoes just start to break down. Add the red pepper and basil and cook for an additional minute. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick you can add a little of the pasta water to thin it down. Add the whipping cream and simmer for an additional minute.

Toss the sauce with the pasta and chicken and serve with freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Biscotti

Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Biscotti

The holiday season baking is well upon us now and this recipe offers up a great treat for this time of the year. We have often chocolate dipped our gingerbread cookies in the past, so when I heard that a friend's chef husband was making gingerbread biscotti, I thought this was a good reason to step that idea up a notch. These store very well and make a great idea for gift giving too, wrapped in cellophane bags tied with a bright ribbon. These crunchy cookies meant for dunking in anything from cocoa to cappuccino would be a tasty and welcome gift for sure.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup cold water
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice

Cream the butter and sugar well. Blend in molasses and water.
Sift together remaining ingredients and blend together until dough forms.
Chill 2 to 3 hours.

Form the dough into two 3 inch wide logs and place 6 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove the biscotti from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting the biscotti on a diagonal into ¾ of an inch thick slices.

Place the biscotti back on the parchment lined cookie sheet and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes before turning the cookies over and baking for an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Melt 12 ounces of dark chocolate chips in a double boiler. Dip one side of the biscotti into the chocolate and let stand until the chocolate cools and hardens.

Newfoundland Cod with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes en Papillote

First things first; don't be intimidated by the name of this recipe..."en papillote" simply means cooked in parchment paper. It is a much under-used cooking method that should really be every busy family cook's best friend. It is a great simple way to steam fish and vegetables inside a paper pouch for one fast, healthy, simple, delicious, convenient and easy meal. I sometimes put mine together the night before when the next day is going to be a blur of work, school and driving kids to their evening activities. Nobody reading can relate, I'm sure! ;)

When prepared in just a few minutes the previous night, we can easily have these on the table in half an hour straight out of the fridge and into the oven. Now what are you going to do with the time you would have spent cooking?

Serves 4

4 six ounce fresh cod portions
¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
1 tbsp dried summer savoury (tarragon or dill make good substitutes)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 medium red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to season
Lemon for garnish

Begin by washing and slicing your potatoes and thinly slicing them. Add the slices to boiling salted water for 2 minutes to blanch them. Toss the blanched potatoes in the olive oil and savoury, and season them with salt and pepper. Divide the slices into 4 equal portions and arrange them in the centers of 4 large squares of parchment paper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and place the cod portions on top of the potatoes. Top the cod with the sundried tomatoes and olives and a small drizzle of olive oil.

Bring two edges of the parchment paper together and roll the paper until one inch from the top of the fish. Fold the ends under the bottom to create a sort of sealed pouch in which the fish and potatoes can cook. Place on a baking sheet and place in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your cod portions. You may want to add another 5 minutes if they are particularly thick. Let the pouches rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve in the paper pouches with a lemon wedge to squeeze over the top of the fish.

This Old Gingerbread House

I got a call from a New York City writer for the "This Old House" website a week or so ago asking permission to use a photo of one of my gingerbread houses in a feature article on their site in December. I was happy to be included in what they considered to be the best gingerbread houses on the web and even more pleased that they chose to use my photograph for their home page this month. Check it out here:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/