Category: Recipes

Posted on » by Dana & Nancy » Theme:

Orange-Pecan French Toast Casserole

Making this casserole saves you the trouble of standing over a griddle flipping individual slices of French toast. Assemble the dish the night before your gathering, and pop it in the oven the next morning. Be sure to serve each slice bottom-side up so the pecan mixture is on top.

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 cup fresh orange juice (I squeezed the oranges myself)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used freshly grated)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
12 (1-inch-thick) slices French bread (about 1 pound)

Combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup; pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over sugar mixture.

Combine rind and next 7 ingredients (rind through eggs); stir with a whisk. Arrange bread slices over pecans in dish; pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Carefully turn bread slices over to absorb excess egg mixture. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cooking Light, JUNE 2004

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Bagel Recipe

Bagel Recipe

Paraphrased from Crust & Crumb by Peter Reinhart

Poolish:
4 cups bread flour
4 cups cool water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 3~5 hours, until bubbly.
Refrigerate overnight, covered.

1 cup poolish sponge
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey or malt syrup

1. Let the sponge sit at room temperature one hour to take the chill off.
2. Stir the yeast into the water and let sit three minutes.
3. Combine sponge, flour, salt, and honey in a large bowl, then add the water/yeast mixture.


4. Stir together, adding more water or flour, if necessary.
5. Knead until dough passes the windowpane test, about 15~20 minutes by hand. Dough should be dense and fairly dry, smooth and stretchable.

6. Divide the dough into 6-14 pieces, depending on the size bagels you want. (I did 16) Roll into balls, as if for dinner rolls, cover with plastic wrap and let sit 5 minutes at room temperature.

7. Line a pan with baking parchment and dust with cornmeal.

8. Form the bagels by sticking your thumb through each ball of dough and gently widening the hole by winding and stretching it. The hole should be about 1 1/2″ wide for big bagels (or even bigger, since mine nearly closed up in the end).9. Place the bagels on the sheets, cover with plastic wrap, let rise at room temperature 1 1/2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
10. Remove the bagels from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bring a large pot of water to boil, preheat oven to 470*F.
11. Reduce heat on the water to keep it at a simmer. Gently drop the bagels in, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. They should sink to the bottom, then rise to the top. (I suspect I let mine rise too long, because they floated immediately. Still tasted good though.)


12. Let bagels boil 1 minute on each side. While bagels are boiling, sprinkle the parchment sheets on the baking sheets with semolina or cornmeal and spray with oil.
13. Return the bagels to the sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through for even baking.


14. Let cool 30 minutes on a cooling rack before eating.


Posted on » by Ashley » Theme:

Maple Bacon Ice Cream

Maple Bacon Ice Cream
Adapted from spaghettiicecream.com

Beat the yolks of two eggs until light; add two-thirds of a cup of maple syrup and half a cup of milk. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens; then pour over the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs and cool. When cold add a cup and a half of cream and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions. Right before taking it out of the ice cream maker, add 1-2 strips of finely chopped cooked bacon and stir to incorporate. Freeze as directed, and serve with more bacon “sprinkles” on top.