Hello dear friends! This week, we're spending some time in the kitchen. I'm trying a few recipes and I'll tell you if the results are blah or TADA!
This is a panettone, a sweet Italian bread generously sprinkled with raisins, candied fruit, sometimes nuts and chocolate. They're popular during the holidays and I've given them as gifts on a few occasions. A slice, paired with coffee or tea, makes for a wonderful breakfast or snack.
The size of this bread is massive, so I turned half of it into a bread pudding {this is a TADA! way to use up blah, stale bread}. I followed this recipe, replacing the sourdough or French bread with panettone.
Panettone all cubed up.
I added some chocolate chips on top
before pouring in the custard.
Here's what it looks like after baking.
The top was a bit crumbly, the inside soft and moist. It had just the right amount of sweetness {I used less sugar than was required} and the built-in candied fruit and additional chocolate chips added enough crunch and character. A definite TADA! if I should say so myself.
The bread pudding resulted to many tummy rubs and a satisfying "yum" with or without the sauce.
Cinnamon Baked French Toast {recipe from The Pioneer Woman}
Ingredients:
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough, French Bread or Panettone
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
3/4 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
Topping
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions:
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.
Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and work into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a zipper bag in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. If you're using fruit or chocolate chips, sprinkle on before adding the crumb mixture. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.
Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup or bourbon sauce*.
*Bourbon Sauce {recipe from Cooks County}
Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 - inch pieces
Pinch salt
Instructions:
Whisk the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the bourbon together in a small bowl. Heat the cream and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of bourbon, butter, and salt. Drizzle the warm sauce over individual servings of the bread pudding.
