Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Christmas is a very special time for my family. It starts with the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve and continues on Christmas morning with a large breakfast followed by Christmas presents. One year my son suggested that we make pumpkin bread French toast and it came out fabulous, crisp, sweet and decadent.

Makes 12 slices of French toast

½ Recipe of Pumpkin Bread  *

1 ½ C Whole Milk (warmed)

3 Large Egg Yolks

1 TBS Light Brown Sugar

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 TBS Unsalted Butter (melted)

2 TBS Unsalted Butter (for grilling)

¼ tsp Table Salt

1 TBS Vanilla Extract

Maple Syrup or Apple Butter

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cut the pumpkin bread into ½ inch slices and place them on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet (see photo). Place them into the oven for about 14-18 minutes or until the bread is almost dry throughout (the center should be slightly moist). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. This drying out will help with the absorption of the custard and the crisping of the French toast. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°F and return the empty baking sheet with the wire rack to the oven.

Pumpkin bread drying in the oven

In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter (cooled), salt, and vanilla until well mixed. Transfer the custard mixture to a 13”x9” baking pan.

Soak the bread in the custard for about 20 seconds per slice (use a timer, if you soak them longer they will get to soggy) or until soaked but not falling apart. Place the slices on another cookie sheet or platter.

Pumpkin bread soaking in the egg custard

Heat 1/3 tablespoon of butter in a 12 inch skillet or a griddle over medium heat. When the butter stops foaming, transfer 3-4 slices of the soaked pumpkin bread to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides (3-4 minutes). Transfer to the rack in the oven to keep it warm. Wipe out the skillet and repeat the process until all slices have been cooked adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm with maple syrup or apple butter

Is maple syrup really worth the cost? My answer is definitely yes. The taste is incredibly different from the pancake syrup they sell in the grocery store. The complexity of the flavors of real maple syrup will enhance your French toast, jazz up your butternut squash, or sweeten your dessert like nothing else can.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Pumpkin Bread – If you don’t want to make pumpkin bread, try good quality cinnamon raisin toast or banana bread.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Pumpkin Bread French Toast.

Best Cupcakes in Old Town Alexandria Virginia

My daughter and I recently decided to determine who makes the best cupcakes in Old Town Alexandria Virginia. We purchased cupcakes from Alexandria Cupcake a cupcake only bakery and Nando’s Peri-Peri a Portugese peri-peri chicken restaurant who imports their cupcakes from Chicago. At first glance how can a restaurant who imports their cup cakes from Chicago possibly beat a bakery that specializes in cupcakes? Let the tasting begin.

We compared 4 cupcakes from each restaurant/bakery. We tasted them for frosting, moistness of the cake, and the balance of the frosting and cake. We rated each on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best cupcake we have ever eaten).

Nando’s Peri-Peri – 8.5 Rating

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting – Good balance of flavors with a burst of chocolate ganache in the middle.

Chocolate cake with Chocolate Frosting – This was as close to perfect as I have ever tasted.  It had complexity, richness, and a balance of flavors with a rich moist cake that made us asking for more.

Alexandria Cupcake – 6.1 Rating

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting – The frosting was so sweet and overpowering that the dry cake was completely lost.

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting – This cupcake had a good balance of flavors but the icing was gritty and the cake was dry.

Chocolate Spice Whoopie Pies

Makes 20 mini or 10 full sized whoopie pies.

I’ve never been a fan of the overly sweet whoopie pies that most people are familiar with. My version of this classic has a bite of cayenne pepper that brings out the deep chocolate flavor of the Dutch processed cocoa which complements the less sweet flavor of the mascarpone cream and chocolate hazelnut Nutella filling.

Cake Ingredients

1 C packed Brown Sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter (softened)

1 Lg Egg

1 C Buttermilk (well-shaken)

1 tsp Vanilla

2 C All-Purpose Flour

1/2 C Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder*

1 Pinch to 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper*

1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Table Salt

Filling Ingredients

8 oz Mascarpone Cheese*

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

¼ C Confectionary Sugar

1 C Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly spray with cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and room temperature butter until light and fluffy. To the creamed mixture, add the eggs until fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix well.

 In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, baking soda and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour at a time to the wet ingredients until incorporated then beat for one minute. Do not over mix, or the cake will be tough.

Mini Whoopie Pies

Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter approximately 1 ½ inch apart on the cookie sheets. You can bake right away for higher domed cakes, or let sit 5 minutes for wider cakes. Bake the cakes for 9-10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes are springy to the touch.

Full Sized Whoopie Pies

Scoop 2 tablespoon of batter approximately 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. You can bake right away for higher domed cakes, or let sit 5 minutes for wider cakes. Bake the cakes for 12-13 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes are springy to the touch.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the 8 oz of mascarpone, 1 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ C of powered sugar on low just until incorporated. Add the Nutella and  until you have no streaks.

To assemble, spread filling on half of the cooled cakes (2 tsp for the mini pies or 4 tsp for the full-sized pies). To make this simpler, place the filling in a gallon zipper bag, cut off a tip of the bag and pipe it on the cakes. Place the halves together and press gently to spread filling to edges. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

* Pronto Substitutes

Dutch Processed Cocoa – If you don’t have Dutch processed cocoa, substitute Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder

Cayenne – you can eliminate the cayenne powder for a more traditional flavor or you can increase it to 1/8 teaspoon for a spicier taste.

Mascarpone Cheese – Mascarpone should be used straight from the refrigerator or it will separate. Cream cheese can be substituted but it will give you a sweeter filling and must be at room temperature.

Why Dutch Process Cocoa?

I use Dutch process cocoa whenever I want a deeper chocolate flavor. You can always substitute unsweetened cocoa powder but the chocolate flavor will not be as intense. Because Dutch process cocoa has a neutral pH and is not acidic like natural cocoa, it cannot be used in recipes that use baking soda as the leavening agent, which relies on the acidity of the cocoa to activate it. Rather, Dutch process cocoa can be used in recipes that use baking powder (instead of baking soda) for leavening.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Chocolate Spice Whoopie Pies.

Savory Artichoke Shells

Makes 30 appetizers

Preparing for the holidays can be overwhelming. I’m always looking for ways to simplify my life but maintain my quest for the best. This appetizer is both easy to prepare and delivers a bite-sized morsel of savory cheeses and sweet artichoke nestled in a shell of crispy fillo. It makes an excellent holiday appetizer.

Ingredients

4 oz. Jared Artichoke Topping *

3 oz. Shredded Mozzarella *

3 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese (crumbled)

2 - 1.9 oz. boxes Athens Mini Fillo Shells (thawed)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thaw mini fillo shells at room temperature for 15 minutes on a large baking sheet.

Fill each fillo shell with ½ tsp of Artichoke Topping.  Top each filled fillo shell with the crumbled gorgonzola and shredded mozzarella cheeses.  Bake the filled artichoke fillo shells for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.  You must watch them so that they do not burn!

Place the baked fillo shells on a serving tray and watch your company ask for more.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Artichoke Topping – Use jarred Artichoke Topping, Bruschetta Topping, or a Grilled Vegetable Topping

Cheese – Use 6 ounces of Shredded Italian Cheese Blend instead of the gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese. 

To print a copy of this recipe go to Savory Artichoke Shells.

Rugelach Cookies

Every Christmas I bake a large number of cookies but none is more popular than the Rugelach cooked by my wife and son.  Guests have come to expect them when they visit at Christmas and ask for them if they are not there. These delicate Jewish cookies have a rich buttery taste that surrounds a cinnamon and walnut interior that just melts in your mouth.

Butter Dough

½ lb Butter (room temp)

½ lb Cream Cheese (room temp)

2 C All-Purpose Flour

2 TBS Sugar

Nut Filling

¾ C Brown Sugar

¾ C Chopped Walnuts

1 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, quickly mix the butter dough ingredients until they form a ball.  Do not over work the dough or it will become tough.  Divide the dough into fourths.  Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll it out.  On a floured surface (your kitchen counter is great for this) roll out the dough to a 1/8^th inch thickness, approximately 6" x 10".  Spread ¼ of the filling (scant ½ C) on the dough.  Roll up the dough using the long edge (lengthwise).  Cut the roll into one inch slices.  Place them on a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet with at least ½ inch between the cookies.  They do not spread.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Alternative fillings – You can also fill rugelach with strawberry, raspberry, or apricot jam, as well as Nutella^® chocolate hazelnut spread.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Rugelach Cookies.