Christmas Morning French Toast (Granola Pain Perdu)

Christmas morning deserves a special breakfast food in celebration.  What I love about this recipe is that most of the prep work can be done the night before so that the cook doesn't have to miss a bit of the fun.
Pain Perdu is French for "lost bread", meaning that if this day old bread didn't get used for something, it would be a loss.  It is also by far the best way to make french toast.

You will need:

4 thick slices of day old bread (French or Challa)
3 eggs
1 cup milk (I use whole)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
0.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. orange zest
1.5 cups plain granola
3 Tbs. butter
*Pre-heat your oven to 400°

1. Slice your bread 1 inch thick.

2. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest in a good pan for soaking the bread.  I used a 13x9 casserole dish. 
3. Let the bread drink in the custard mix for about 5 minutes per side.  In the meanwhile...
4. Heat the pan to med/high and add a tablespoon of butter.  The granola coating is best if somehow ground to a finer crumb.  Sticking it on as-is works too though.  A few pulses in the food processor is all it takes.

5. Sprinkle some granola mix to cover the up-facing sides of the bread, then place the bread granola side down in the hot buttered pan. Granola up the empty upfacing side.

6. Brown both sides for 2 minutes per side.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Move the browned toast to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip them over and bake for about 5 more minutes.
Top with: powdered sugar, or maple syrup, or some yogurt mixed with honey and cinnamon. Merry Christmas!

My Gingerbread House Completed

Merry Christmas!

Sugar Glass for Gingerbread House Windows

This Sugar Glass is part of my gingerbread house series.  Use it to make candy "stained glass" windows for your house to add a bit of unusual beauty. 

You will need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
optional food coloring
+ a candy thermometer
*NOTE: This process should ideally take about 20 minutes.  Taking 20 minutes for the sugar to reach 315° will create the correct consistency, not too syrupy and not too brittle.

1.  Stir together sugar and water over medium heat in a small saucepan until dissolved.  Wipe the sugar off of the sides of the pot.  If crystals began to form up the sides, they will spread down into the mixture & cause it to seize.

2.  Once the solution begins to boil, turn up the heat to medium-high.

3.  Place the candy thermometer into the sugar solution and place a lid on top of the pot, slightly ajar because of the thermometer.  This will create a bit of steam to keep crystals from forming on the sides.

4.  If you want to add color, dissolve food coloring in a very small amount of water.  If you are using one color, add it in at about 300° and slightly shake the pot.  If you are adding more than one, or are looking for a marble effect, add it in at the finish, 315°.

5.  Once you've reached 315°, immediately remove from heat and slowly, carefully pour the sugar into the mold as described in Gingerbread House Stained Glass Windows.  The sugar will be very hot for a few minutes.

If you want instructions that are a bit more detailed, check out the "Pie of the Tiger" instructions here.  This lady has some incredible ideas.

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Gingerbread House Stained Glass Windows

How beautiful would your gingerbread house look with an added colorful window or two?  These will be gorgeous if you are planning on lighting your gingerbread house from within.  The following instructions are an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe.  Use them as a part of my gingerbread house series.

Gingerbread House Stained Glass Windows

You will need:
Molding clay, cookie cutters (or I've also made a mold from extra raw dough)
A Silpat Mat (or parchment paper)
Utility knife
Sugar Glass (find recipe here)

1.  Roll out molding clay 1/4 inch thick on a Silpat. Measure windows of house; add 1/2 inch all around. With a utility knife, cut out molds from clay using measurements, being careful not to cut the mat. Make the Sugar Glass, and pour into molds. Let set in molds until completely dry, about 1 hour. Carefully lift clay, leaving windowpanes behind.

2.  After they have set, use Royal Icing to "glue" the windows onto the back of your gingerbread house's wall.  Outline the back of window frame with icing by piping a line 1/4 inch from edge of frame. Press "glass" into place. Let icing dry completely.

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Royal Icing Recipe

This Royal Icing recipe is courtesy of my grandma Meemaw, who enjoyed a long career as a cake decorator.  Use it for assembling your gingerbread house.

Royal Icing

6 Tbs. pasteurized powdered egg whites (or substitute meringue powder)
8 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
0.75 cups water

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the meringue powder and water until reasonably fluffy.

2. Stir in the powdered sugar. 

3.  Place in pastry bag and pipe away.  Alternatively, you can place in a zip top storage bag and clip a small triangle off of the corner.   If you're not using it immediately, store it unrefrigerated in an air-tight container.


If you're wanting to use this recipe for icing gingerbread cookies, use this version instead:

Royal Icing for Cookies

3 Tbs. pasteurized powdered egg whites (or substitute meringue powder)
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
6 Tbs. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Follow the instructions above, adding vanilla extract with the water.


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Structural Gingerbread Recipe

This recipe is meant to be strong and economical.  It's perfect for constructing gingerbread houses, not so much for making edible cookies.  If you are looking for a cookie recipe, may I suggest Food Network's Gingerbread Cookies 101?  That's a great place to start.

Since this gingerbread house dough recipe is for display and not consumption, molasses and spices are omitted.  However, if you're looking for the traditional aroma of baking gingerbread dough, then use the augmented recipe notes to include them.

Structural Gingerbread House Dough Recipe
(This recipe makes two gingerbread houses)

2 cups corn syrup

1.5 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1.25 cups margarine

9 cups all-purpose flour

0.5 tsp. salt

*for a notably more aromatic dough, albeit pricier, use the modified recipe below*

     2 cups molasses

     1.5 cups firmly packed brown sugar

     1.25 cups margarine

     9 cups all-purpose flour

     0.5 tsp. salt

     2.25 tsp. ground cinnamon

     2.25 tsp. ground ginger

     1.5 tsp. ground allspice

     1.5 tsp. ground cloves

1.  In a medium sauce pan, heat corn syrup (or molasses), brown sugar and margarine.  (You can spray the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray before adding molasses) Stir until smooth and margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely.

2.  In a large bowl, combine flour and salt (and spices if you're including them). Pour the syrup-sugar-margarine mixture into the center of dry ingredients.  Stir together until smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl.  You may need to work it with your hands.

3.  Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Use this time to wash the dishes and get your baking pans, rolling pin and pattern pieces ready.  I recommend a rolling pin without handles for easier rolling, a "French" rolling pin. 

4.  If the dough is too hard or unmanageable, you can microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking pan. True cookie sheets, are the best.

5.  Lightly flour your house patterns and place them on the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch space between pieces. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. For clean edges, cut with a pizza wheel. Remove and reserve excess dough.

6.  Transfer the parchment paper to the baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely before removing.


To assemble the house, you will also need a batch of Royal Icing and an assortment of visually delightful Christmassy candy.

Another extra idea is to make sugar "stained glass" window panes using this recipe.


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Making Gingerbread Houses

Making a gingerbread house is such a sweet, quaint Christmas season activity.  Once a German tradition, making houses from gingerbread now feels like classic Americana for those of us that have grown up in the U.S.  Some prefer a simple version with graham cracker walls and pre-made icing, which is especially great if small children want to participate.  Others aim to impress with serious cookie architecture.  There is even a National Gingerbread House Display contest in Asheville, NC this year.  The contenders will be featured on Good Morning America on the morning of Friday, December 23, 2011.  You could also view a couple on Ashville's travel page here.

My family has a gingerbread building tradition and I wanted to try a few new details this year.  Namely, stained glass windows. Stay tuned and we'll see if my attempt ends in a win or a fail!  Either way, I'll learn more tricks for next year, and you can profit from my mistakes.


Here is my gingerbread house series:

The best recipe for sturctural gingerbread house dough.

Royal Icing to connect and decorate the gingerbread.

Method for creating candy "stained glass" windows.

Sugar Glass for candy "windows".  Also useful for an alternate, less visible, way to connect gingerbread.

Coming Up...

So far here on A Delicious Food Blog, the topics have been in the spirit of making the basics better.  I am going to keep it seasonal for now.  In coming blogs, I plan on discussing some more quintessential cook's tips. 

I have kept it pretty simple so far... but is there anything YOU would like information or tips on?

Let me know!  My favorites might be interesting, but let me give out tips that you are interested in. Let's find your new favorites.

Composing Harmonious Hot Cocoa

As the weather turns wet, I find comfort in a daily ritual: hot cocoa.  A perfect cup of hot cocoa is simple, with high notes of sweetness and deep notes of warmth.  It is a treat, yet nutritious.  Learn proper cocoa theory with the following notation.

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 0z.) organic whole milk
0.5 tsp. organic vanilla extract
1.5 Tbs. fair-trade unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
splash of cold water (about 1 Tbs.)
(optional) 1 Tbs. raw sugar (or to taste)

1. Set your milk to high heat.  We don't want it to boil, or it will grow a thick film on top.  The next few steps should come together before it reaches a boil.

2.  Stir the vanilla extract into the milk.

3.  Pour the cocoa powder and salt into your mug.  Also add sugar if you're using it.  I find the milk adds sweetness enough though.  Add a splash of cold water and mix together to form a cocoa paste.  Making this solution eliminates those floating cocoa globs and intense bottom dwelling cocoa sludge. 

4.  Pour your steaming hot milk over the cocoa paste, and whip with a whisk or a fork until the cocoa paste is introduced to the whole mug of milk. You could sweeten with a little whipped cream at this point, or even crechendo to a whipped cream and shaved chocolate finish.

Chestnuts Roasting In A Closed Oven

The valley where I live is shivering in winter weather today.  The leaf bare trees are glazed with crystal frost.  A wet fog is winding across the roof tops.  I'm inspired to stay inside today.

One food that's particular to the early winter season is chestnuts.  In America, they're sold in grocery stores from September to December.  They can be prepared simply and are quite nutritious.  They're unlike other tree nuts by being low in fat and surprisingly high in vitamin C.  Because of the low fat content, they're best cooked soon after purchasing. Placed them in a paper bag in the refrigerator if they need to be stored for longer.

1.  To begin, rinse your batch of chestnuts in cool water.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

2.  Lay one chestnut on a cutting board with a flat side down.  Each chestnut needs an "X" cut through the tough shell so that they have room to expand while cooking.

3.  Soak all of the scored nuts in cool water for about 30 minutes.

4.  Drain the batch and pat dry.  Spread them over a baking sheet with the "X" facing up.

5.  Bake in pre-heated oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Once cooked, the shells become brittle and can easily be peeled off by hand.

Sip some eggnog alongside to be extra festive.

Butter Clarity (How To Clarify Butter)

Clarified butter is a handy tool.  It has the flavor of butter, but it doesn't burn food easily like butter can.  Use it to make some golden french toast or to saute veggies. Clarifying butter also gives it a longer shelf life of about one month. All it takes is melting the butter down to remove the milk fat along with a bit of extra water.

1. Gather together 2 cups of butter (4 sticks) and a medium sized sauce pan.

2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat for about one minute. 

3. Skim the foamy milk solids off of the top. 

4. Pour the liquid butter into a suitable storage container, like a clean glass jar. The milky bits on the bottom can be discarded.

Some cultures consider the separated skimmed milky solids a delicacy.  If you like, you can try them spread on toast!