Eggnog French Toast

Every year, I get one or two requests for the French toast recipe I prepare for Christmas brunch. It is the perfect recipe for Christmas morning: it takes just ten minutes to prep the night before, and in the morning all you have to do is pop it in the oven. It pleases a crowd, too; the recipe serves eight, and even those not keen on eggnog like it. Add some bacon, coffee, and mimosas, and you're done.

I highly recommend the accompanying compote; it is the magic ingredient that makes the whole meal extra special. It takes a bit more time than the French toast itself, but can easily be made a couple days in advance. If you want to cut the fat in the compote recipe a little, I have found it is safe to reduce or omit the first four tablespoons of butter without too much difference to the taste...but on Christmas Day, the butter stays!

Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for our annual tradition. I follow a Bon Appetit recipe exactly as it was printed in December 2001. (Best. issue. ever. If there is ever a fire, my order of rescue is: the kid, the hamster, the Mac, and my Dec '01 BA. Yes, I think about these things.) Luckily, BA graciously posts all their recipes for free at Epicurious. Enjoy!

Eggnog French Toast

Cranberry-Apple Compote

Black Forest Oatmeal

In a technical sense, this breakfast can be considered healthy: it has a serving of oatmeal (whole grain!), cherries (fruit!), and pudding (milk and eggs! and cocoa! antioxidants! Give a girl a break, okay?) Very healthy and balanced, indeed. This is what I tell myself when I eat it three days in a row. Which has never happened, I swear. Really. Because I’m good. But so is this oatmeal.

Ahem.

The recipe is for one serving; scale as needed.

¼ cup quick oats*

¼ cup milk or almond milk

¼ cup water

¼ to ½ tsp sugar or sweetener

1 shake of salt

½ cup chocolate pudding

⅓ cup canned sour cherries, drained (I recommend S&F brand)

1 dollop whip cream or cool whip

Combine the first five ingredients in a small pot. Bring up to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature (cooling can be sped up by placing the pot in a shallow bath of cold water and stirring occasionally).

Layer all ingredients in a bowl, or if you want to get fancy, a large parfait glass. Tell yourself it’s good for you. Then eat it all. Because—every once in a while—it’s important to eat pudding and whip cream for breakfast.

*Rolled or steel-cut oats can be substituted; adjust liquid quantities and cooking times according to package directions.

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

This recipe is an adaptation from an old “Company’s Coming” book. I am not a huge fan of pumpkin—it is easy for me to skip the pie at Thanksgiving—but this loaf brought me around with its combination of pumpkin, orange, dates, and pecans to create a rich, full-flavoured quick bread reminiscent of fruit cake. Enjoy!

½ cup pecans, chopped

⅓ cup butter, softened slightly

1⅓ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

⅓ cup water

1 medium navel orange

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

¾ tsp salt

½ cup dates, chopped (about the size of raisins)

Preheat oven at 350°F. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and line bottom with parchment, if desired.

Toast pecans in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant. Set aside to cool. (Toasting the pecans can be skipped if you’re pressed for time.)

Cream together butter and sugar well. Beat in eggs until just combined, then stir in pumpkin and water.

Cut orange in half stem-to-bud and remove any seeds from the centre column. Grind up the entire orange in a blender, food processor or grinder. (If you don’t have a grinder, slice the peel thinly and then run your knife through the lot to finely chop.) Stir into pumpkin mixture.

Combine the remaining ingredients together with the cooled pecans and mix well. Stir into wet ingredients until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out if necessary. Bake for 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Date Squares

At some point when I was a teen, my parents accidentally bought a skid of dates at auction. Yes: a skid. I made a lot of date squares that year, which was fine by all of us; they never lasted long. I was a date square machine! (Is that something I should actually be proud of?)

Once I moved out on my own, I never made them since they are atrociously high-calorie. Then, somehow, the recipe was lost. Gasp! Fifteen years of looking and it still hasn’t turned up. But—about five years ago—my mother stumbled on an older version of the original recipe, written out old style: basically a listing of ingredients with virtually no instructions. It’s not quite as good as what I grew up on, but decent all the same. Here is that original recipe, with a few extra notes by me.

1 lb dates, pitted

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup boiling water

Combine in a saucepot and cook well. The dates should be softened and the sauce thick.

2 cups rolled oats

1¾ cups AP flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup butter

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Cut together all ingredients. Press half the oat mixture into an 8 x 8 pan (lined with parchment if desired), then all of the date mixture (wet hands makes spreading the dates easier), then the remainder of the oat mixture. Bake 20 minutes in a moderate oven (350 to 400°F will do the trick). Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Apple-Oatmeal Coffee Cake

I have been astounded by the number of requests I have received for this cake's recipe, served at the Back-to-School Tea on Tuesday morning. I will have to make it again, soon.

Oat Streusel
2 tbsp salted butter, cold
¼ cup AP flour
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup oats (quick or rolled)

Cake
1¾ cups AP flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup oats (quick or rolled)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
½ cup salted butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk*
1 large egg
1½ cups Granny Smith apples, chopped (about 2)

Make the streusel: in a medium bowl, briefly blend together the flour, sugar and cinnamon, then cut in the butter until crumbly (size of peas). Stir in oats. Set aside or keep in fridge if your kitchen is warm.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Liberally grease 9x9x2 pan with shortening. (Optional: line bottom and two sides with overhanging parchment strip for easy removal.)

In electric mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add butter, milk, and egg; beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl a couple times. Fold in apples.

Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing top with spoon/spatula. Sprinkle with streusel.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan before lifting onto wire rack, or serve warm.

* If you do not have buttermilk on hand, substitute 1 tbsp lemon juice mixed with normal milk to equal 1 cup. Don’t worry if it looks lumpy: this is normal.

Cheddar Scones

Dished up to the ladies at Coffee Morning last month. Cheesy tastiness.

2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cold salted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup grated old (sharp) cheddar
1 egg, beaten well
⅔ cup milk (whole is preferred)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease baking sheet, or line with parchment or silpat.

In a large bowl, blend together first four ingredients. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in butter until crumbly (pea-sized). Stir in cheddar. If your kitchen is warm, stick the whole thing in the fridge for a few minutes to cool down.

Beat the egg and stir in the milk. Make a well in the center of the four mixture and pour in the milk. Gently mix together with your fingers until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead about a dozen times, until dough is slightly elastic. Take care not to over-knead the dough as this is what can kill its tender crumb.

Divide dough into two flat rounds and then score tops into six pie pieces each, or use a muffin scoop to drop large biscuits onto baking sheet. Brush tops with extra milk, if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes until risen and tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.

Make ahead: freeze scones after shaping on baking sheet. Once frozen, cover with plastic. Thaw in fridge overnight before baking. Add a few minutes to your baking time when baking directly from the fridge.