I always heed Cath’s call.

Whenever she asks if I want to participate in a book event, I’m there.

Especially when the author of the book is someone like Deborah Madison. Some people are born to write cookbooks and Deborah is one of those people.

Her latest cookbook, Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm, and Market, is another example of Madison’s ability.

The hardest part for me was getting over the unfairness of not being able to try so many of the tempting berry recipes because we are nowhere near berry season here.

The book covers all fruits, but I have pretty much had my fill of apples. Thankfully, though, Ontario rhubarb has begun to make its appearance this spring so I didn’t feel too badly.

What to say about the book?

It’s beautiful. It’s imaginative. It has depth.

I am relatively new to rhubarb but I love it. The recipe for Baked Rhubarb with Vanilla, Orange, and Clove immediately caught my eye so I couldn’t resist.

I cannot explain how happy I was as the gentle perfume of baking sugar, rhubarb and vanilla filled the kitchen.

I was even happier when I enjoyed the baked rhubarb alongside some five-grain cereal for breakfast.

The rhubarb will keep me happy until the berries arrive.

The book will make me happy every time.

Ciao!

I love my mommy.

Even though I am fully grown, I still call her mommy.

She’s the best mommy a Cream Puff could have.

Happy Mother’s Day, mommy!

And a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Hope it’s so sweet!

Ciao!

The Best French Toast
Serves 3 (or 2 very hungry people)

Note: This is my base recipe for french toast. You can amend the recipe based on what flavours you want to produce. You can add all sorts of extracts to the base, you can add liquor to the base, you can add flavoured sugars to the base, you can double the base or triple it easily and you can even make the base savoury for a french toast dinner. If you prefer an eggier french toast, add an egg and reduce the amount of dairly by a quarter cup. For the bread, I like to use thick slices of brioche or a good quality sandwich bread. You can keep the French Toast warm while you cook all the bread by placing it in a 200 degree F. oven in an oven-proof dish.

The Base:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup whole milk
a pinch of salt

To the base, for the recipe pictured here, I added:

3 tablespoons vanlla sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 slices thickly sliced brioche or sandwich bread
Melted butter (to grease the griddle or sauté pan)

Combine the beaten egg, cream, milk and salt in a wide shallow bowl. Add whatever additions you like to the base (in my case I added vanilla sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon).

Either heat a griddle or a large sauté pan and grease the bottom with a bit of melted butter. Regulate the heat accordingly so you don’t burn your French Toast (I generally keep it at medium-low once the pan has heated up nicely).

Dip one slice of bread in the egg and cream mixture. Don’t dip for too long (I like to dip about 5 seconds per side). Carefully place the bread in the griddle or pan and cook on each side for three to four minutes. The bread will be golden when you flip it. Transfer the slice to a plate and keep it in a warm oven while you cook the rest.

Once you’ve cooked all the French Toast slices, serve with whatever garnishes you like including: powdered sugar, strawberries, cream, maple syrup and butter.

Enjoy!

And on the fifth day of the 12 days of cookbooks I give you The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox.

Honestly, 2009 is a year where you could probably buy four or five baking books for the baker in your life. That’s how many high calibre baking books have been published this year (if not more) and DeMasco and Fox’s book certainly ranks among those.

When they say good things come in small packages, they aren’t kidding. While not a huge book, this cookbook is a passionate testament to baking as an art form. Except that you don’t have to be a brilliantly talented artist to do this. Anyone can bake and this book is accessible to everyone, from the beginner to the more seasoned baker.

I feel like I’ve written this about a million times this year but had I had the time, I probably would have tried at least half the recipes in the book (I fully intend on trying many more over the holidays). Everything is so enticing from the scone recipes, to the brioche recipes, to the doughnut recipes, to the tart recipes and so on and so on.

I managed to make the Chocolate Chip Scones, which have instantly become my very favourite scones ever. Made with heavy cream, they are the standard by which I shall judge all scones from now on.

While I did not take a picture of the next dessert I tried, I loved it so much that I ended up eating almost all of it myself, something I rarely do. It’s called Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Panna Cotta and I’ve decided I’m going to spend the holidays holed up in my house eating batch after batch of it.

Try and stop me.

Beautiful photographs. Great recipes. And one of my most favourite features: many of the recipes include suggestions on other recipes in the book that compliment what you’ve made, so you can pair up recipes. Great idea!

Okay. That’s enough. Put this book in someone’s Christmas stocking. I’m off to eat more panna cotta.

Ciao!

Obviously, December is all about the holidays.

But in the Cream Puff household, it’s also about breakfast.

Because we all tend to be off from work for a good part of the month (I take holidays and my brother is home since the factory usually closes for two weeks), it means lots of lazy mornings where we can all indulge in some long and slow breakfasts.

The stars of the show are usually pancakes, waffles or french toast. If it’s up to me, it would pancakes almost every time.

Much like chocolate chip cookies and granola, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as the “best recipe ever”. There’s always another recipe on the horizon waiting to be tried.

This time around it’s a recipe for Classic Buttermilk Pancakes from Issue 102 of Fine Cooking.

Wow. These were good.

I have a few other buttermilk pancake recipes, which are also very good, but these somehow were just a bit fluffier. I followed the instructions precisely, especially the part about letting the batter rest for a bit. I think this is absolutely key when making pancakes or waffles. Letting the batter rest allows it to thicken as the flour absorbs the liquid and swells. This gives you a pancake that rises more and that is far more fluffy and light.

So I’m going to stop now because my mouth is watering and there’s no way that I can make pancakes right now.

I ate them all up with lots of maple syrup and salted butter.

As always, I’m joined by a few people who have decided to attack that magazine pile. That’s what Magazine Mondays is all about!

Here’s who joined me this week:

Candy Girl made a Tangerine Beef with Scallions from the November 2009 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Di from Di’s Kitchen Notebook used a recipe for Streusel-Topped Chocolate-Cranberry Bread from the December 2009 issue of Bon Appétit as inspiration for a danish braid.

Poppy of Poppyseeds and Tiger Lilies made Chicken & Fontina Quesadillas from a 2008 issue of Food & Wine.

Janie of Panini Girl made Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies from the December issue of Sunset magazine.

And with something a little different, Wandering Coyote of ReTorte features her lastest article in Bread & Molasses magazine complete with Cheese Ball recipe!!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

I owe someone.

Quite awhile ago, Mr. Nazca sent me a certain little book in the mail and by doing so, threw down the figurative gauntlet. My challenge, assuming that I would choose to accept it, was to read said book and at the very least attempt a recipe.

The book in question: Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook: A useful and improving Almanack of Information including Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

I’m serious.

Apparently Nanny Ogg is the one that everyone goes to for advice. Having never heard of Nanny Ogg before this book, I was quite surprised to learn that I can, in fact, consult her for all sorts of friendly tips including, but not limited to, ettiquette with scarecrows; how to properly offer an umbrella and how to behave at a ball. Nanny Ogg also offers marriage advice, which isn’t useful to me at the moment, but should I ever be married I know that I can count on Nanny Ogg’s to instruct me in the proper way to argue with my husband.

Very useful.

There’s a section on “Etiquette in the Bedroom”, but it seems the most important bits are obscured by printed notes that must have been overlooked during the printing process. Unfortunately the notes cover up the parts where Nanny Ogg’s explains how to … ah … handle things.

Not so useful.

Anyway, the best part of the book is clearly the recipe section. Who wouldn’t want to try Mrs Colon’s Genyooin Klatchian Curry or Nobby Mum’s Distressed Pudding?

My personal favourite, and the recipe that I shall hold dearest, is the one for Bread and Water. Luckily I have the ingredients for that on hand pretty much all of the time.

When it came time to decide what to make in order to impress Mr. Nazca, I seriously considered Knuckle Sandwich, but instead settled for Nanny Ogg’s Perfectly Innocent Porridge. The recipe includes one for Completely Innoffensive Honey Mixture Which Shouldn’t Make Anyone’s Wife Laugh, unfortunately, that recipe calls for rose petals and edible gold leaf which are, sadly, in short supply these days.

Nanny Ogg’s porridge was quite delicious, though. I topped it off with vanilla sugar, butter and blueberries. I’m assuming Nanny Ogg’s would approve.

I must say I was wonderfully entertained by this book. I just hope the reprint clears up that Etiquette in the Bedroom section …

Mr. Nazca, consider our debt settled. For now.

Ciao!

A Recipe for Porridge based loosely on what Nanny Ogg says …

Serves 2 people.

1 cup porridge oats
1 cup whole milk (you can also use water but that’s so boring)
optional toppings: butter, brown sugar, vanilla sugar, fresh fruit, nuts …

Combine the oats and the milk in a small pot and let come to a boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the oats are cooked through.

Serve immediately with the toppings of your choice.

I’d like to thank everyone for all of the wonderfully kind comments I received to my last post about how I’ve been experiencing a bit of a lull in the kitchen department recently.

Trust bloggers to always cheer you up!

As a way out of the doldrums, I’ve decided to keep things simple and to just go with what I want.

And at this time of year, I want berries!

An abundance of blueberries and strawberries at my weekly trip to the farmer’s market had me really inspired for the first time in a long time. I came home and as luck would have it, I had a loaf of brioche left from a recent trip to Rahier. Immediately, I remembered this recipe, which I’d bookmared in the May 2008 issue of Food & Wine.

This was so easy to make and so incredibly delicious. It restored a little bit more of my faith.

As you know, this is Magazine Mondays, which means I’m happy to share links from other bloggers who have tackled their magazine pile. Here’s the list of brave souls:

Allie of Zucchero Dolce made a Coffee Cheesecake with Nutella Swirl on a Brownie Base. Swoon!

Margaret of Tea and Scones was a busy bee as she made Watermelon Sorbet and Swedish Meatballs with Buttered Noodles from Martha Stewart Living. Wow! Last week she made Basic Yellow Butter Cupcakes also from Martha Stewart Living.

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Shredded Vegetable Chicken Egg Rolls with Blackberry Pineapple Dipping Sauce and Spicy Gingersnaps!

Janie of Panini Girl made Blueberry Corn Muffins from Country Living to celebrate summer.

Sharon of fiberdoodles is participating in her first Magazine Mondays with a Georgia Peach Barbecued Chicken recipe!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their magazine recipe adventures!

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

My Magazine Mondays submission is the luscious Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding from the May 2008 issue of Food & Wine.

I specifically waited until Saturday to put this post up because to me, Sunday is the king of brunch days.

Thanks to my dear friend Cath of A Blithe Palate and Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness, I’ve had the chance to review Gale Gand’s Brunch! as part of a cookbook spotlight that they’re co-hosting.

I’m lucky enough to own a copy of Gale’s book Chocolate and Vanilla (read the review I did here), which I love and have used many times.

I’m a big fan of Gale’s, although I’m not as familiar with her as I am with other cookbook authors. But most of the people that I know that are familiar with Gale, seem to enjoy the same things that I like about her books. To begin with, they’re very open. What I mean by that is that from the first page there’s a very clear sense that I can easily try each and every recipe in the book. And brunch, above all things, should be easy and straightforward. That’s why we call it brunch and not a formal dinner!

There’s also a lightness to her recipes that I enjoy. Do not fear. There’s butter aplenty (as there should be in all brunches). What I mean is that the recipes are imbued with a sense of starting your day off in a comforting, happy way … another important ingredient in a successful brunch!

At the end of the day (or should I say the beginning), it’s easy to imagine waking up on a Sunday morning and trying any one of the recipes in this book. As it turns out, I tried three, all of which were wonderful.

Because I’ve never met a buttermilk pancake recipe that I haven’t wanted to try, I tried the Buttermilk Pancakes and they were simple, quick and just delicious (pictured above).

And because I’ve never met a granola recipe that I haven’t wanted to try, I made the Cranberry-Almond Granola (with some macadamia nuts thrown in). Wonderful!

And finally, the Quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake called to me because I had some pears that were languishing in the fruit basket. Now I should tell you that pears are not high on my list of favoured fruits but this quick and most cake actually made me like them. That’s good enough for me!

If you’re into brunch (and who isn’t), I cannot recommend this book more highly! I’m off to plan tomorrow’s brunch …

Ciao!

In the last instalment of my little series about the joy of having rediscovered breakfast, I bring you a breakfast item that is perhaps more nourishing to the soul than the body, but nourishing nevertheless.

When people talk about “good” food or “healhy” food, I always start to squirm because I believe that something can be classified as “good for you” or “healty for you” and make you absolutely sick.

Case-in-point, I have always heard it said that All-Bran Buds are very good for you and that may, in fact, be the case. Unfortunately, All-Bran Buds disgust me beyond belief. I don’t know if it’s the texture or the taste or a combination of both, but I would positively never eat again if I had to eat those for breakfast every morning (with apologies to the good people at Kellogg’s). So yes, I might be having a “healthy breakfast”, but what is the benefit to me if said breakfast leaves me unhappy and dissatisfied?

Honestly, I don’t see much merit in that.

I left this particular post to the last for my series because while the subject of this breakfast might hold very little bodily nourishment, it is manna to my soul.

What you see pictured above is what in Italian we call, Ciambellone. I’m not posting a link because depending on where you find yourself in Italy, ciambellone can refer to many different things. When we would go to Italy and we’d visit my paternal grandparents, my grandmother would serve ciambellone for breakfast. A cross between a bread and a dry cake, we would have large slices of ciambellone in the morning with our milk and coffee.

How many childhood breakfasts began this way? The foundation of every Italian child’s breakfast had to be a mug of hot milk with a few drops of espresso. As you got older, the espresso content increased so that the milk to espresso ratio was relatively equal. But as a child, a few drops of espresso, enough to colour the milk, already made you feel like you were almost grownup.

And so onto this foundation, my grandmother would lay the ciambellone. In this age of refined, sugary sweets, I’m not sure how many children would actually like ciambellone. Since we were not exposed to store-bought cookies as children, homemade cookies and cakes were the pinnacle for us.

While I love my fancy cakes and while I am the first in line for the incredible confections of a pastry chef, this home baking of my childhood resonates so deeply.

And to this day, my favourite breakfast (next to pancakes), is a mug of steaming, frothy milk and espresso with the dry, flavourful cookies my maternal grandmother used to make expressly for dunking. And while ciambellone is not something we baked (the one my paternal grandmother served us in Italy was always bought from the bread store), the very idea of it just makes me feel whole and happy.

I cracked open the great Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
and made some minor adaptations to her recipe for this beautiful bread/cake.

I enjoyed making this so much that I kneaded it by hand. The added elbow grease just made the end result that much more desirable. My changes are subtle but even if you own the cookbook and follow the original recipe, you will not be disappointed unless you’re expecting a moist cake. This is a cake for dunking. Period.

I’m not sure what the nutritional value is, however, that is not the point. This makes your stomach and your heart happy, and surely there can be nothing healthier than that.

Ciao!

Ciambellone
Adapted from Marchella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Note: The cake will keep for a week as long as it’s tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or sealed in an airtight container. I think it tastes better the older it gets and it’s more enjoyable to dunk it!

1 stick butter (8 tbsp.), unsalted
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
zest from one medium orange (finely grated)
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
2 extra large eggs (you can use large but you may need some extra water)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup warm water

Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and let cool slightly (for about 5 minutes).

Heat the milk and set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and zest in a bowl and whisk together, set aside.

Add the melted butter and the milk and mix until you have a slightly wet mixture. It will still look dry.

Separate one of the eggs (set aside the yolk). Put the other egg and the egg white from the separated egg into the flour mixture. Remove a bit of the set aside yolk and place it in a small bowl (you will use this as an egg wash). Put the remaining egg yolk in the mixture.

Begin gathering the mixture together. If it’s still dry and doesn’t come together, start adding water. I find I always have to add water for this to come together. I usually add about a quarter of a cup of warm water. What you’re looking for is a dough that comes together and has the consistency of a lumpy dough. It will not be smooth.

Once it’s come together enough that you can roll it into a rope, do so. You can make the rope as long or as short as you like. I usually make mine about 10 to 12 inches. The length and thickness of the rope is up to you. Mine tends to be a couple of inches thick at least. Bring the rope together in a ring and seal the connected ends carefully.

Brush the ring with the leftover egg yolk and place in the oven. In my oven, I bake this for 40 minutes so that it’s nice and golden but the original recipe indicates that you should bake it for 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

While I love my Italian heritage, I am first and foremost a proud Canadian girl.

And as such I am addicted to hockey.

My grandparents and parents, all of whom came to Canada in the 1950s and 1960s, very quickly became fans of the game and of course my aunts and uncles followed suit as they grew up in a nation that idolizes the sport.

Just say 1972, even to young children, and everyone knows that you’re referencing the great hockey battle between Canada and the former Soviet Union.

I love hockey. I love the speed, the action, the camaraderie, the artistry and yes … the fighting! I love watching men’s and women’s hockey and will happily go and watch the children of friends and coworkers as they take part in the sport.

On a very basic level, I believe hockey allows Canadians to gather at their local arena and just be Canadian. It’s a way to enjoy our cold climate and a way for our children to participate in an active lifestyle.

On a more profound level, in a country as enormous as Canada where a relatively small population is spread out from coast to coast, I believe that hockey has been one of the few common threads in the tapestry of our nation. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in British Columbia or in Prince Edward Island, we all play hockey.

While Canadians are generally known for being “nice” and mild-mannered, hockey seems to be one of the few issues that galvanizes us. I love the fact that I’m Canadian and that we have peaceful values but it always amazes me how territorial we become about hockey. And it further amazes me how territorial I’ve become about hockey!!!

Closer to home, I am, of course, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Actually, make that LONG-SUFFERING, GREATLY PAINED, FRUSTRATED, ANGRY, TIRED, IRRITATED, BEATEN-DOWN Leafs fan.

The other Leafs fans out there will know exactly what I mean.

But even though I am a LONG-SUFFERING, GREATLY PAINED, FRUSTRATED, ANGRY, TIRED, IRRITATED and BEATEN-DOWN Leafs fan, I’m still a Leafs fan and I still love hockey. If I am home on a Saturday night, and it’s hockey season, then I will be watching Hockey Night in Canada along with millions of other Canadians.

So today is Hockey Day in Canada, 2009 and all over this country, communities have planned events to celebrate. The day-long celebration is broadcast on the CBC and always ends up having you crying with all the sweet stories about kids playing hockey. The show also highlights a lot of Canadian professional hockey players who seem to be very generous with their time and efforts towards making the day as special as possible.

The centrepiece of this celebration is the NHL schedule that has the six Canadian teams matched up against each other throughout the day (this year: Montreal vs. Ottawa, Vancouver vs. Toronto, Calgary vs. Edmonton).

While HDIC is largely a television event, it’s amazing how it has come to be embraced at the community level. Canada is driven by its communities. While those of us that live in large cities like Toronto or Montreal often like to pride ourselves on being the centre of it all, the fact is that hockey is community-driven. This is why I love the fact that so much of HDIC is about kids playing hockey, especially in small towns or communities. There’s not much that’s more beautiful or fun to watch than a bunch of kids playing hockey on a cold winter’s day.

I wanted to make something special to celebrate HDIC, 2009 and all week I was trying to find some really amazing dessert or sweet that I could whip up. But I’m in a really busy period right now and all I kept coming back to was “make something with maple syrup”. So then I whittled that down to “maple syrup”. I whipped up a batch of my favourite waffles and drenched them in the very best maple syrup (which everyone knows comes from Canada!!!)!

For the final word on the glory of hockey and what it means to Canadians, I give you an excerpt from David Adams Richards’ bittersweet and beautiful book Hockey Dreams: Memories of a Man Who Couldn’t Play:

Hockey is played in the cold, and a generation of movies from Hollywood that have influenced our outlook about ourselves has shown us that cold weather is something abnormal.

However we are the coldest country on earth. And everyone except the children want to deny it. Thousands of us froze our hands, our feet and our ears every day just walking to school. And where we went after school was to a cold rink to put on frozen skates to play hockey on ice.

So our hockey is evidence, to outsiders, of our coldness, and with our coldness, our abnormal lack of sophistication, etiquette and probably humour. As I say, a thousand movies have been made to reinforce the stereotypes we use against ourselves.

Hockey becomes a kind of verification for outsiders and for ourselves, of how Canadians hate to be labelled in the first place, “Ottawa: colder than Moscow and without the night life,” the joke goes.

Contempt for ourselves is the axiom upon which so much of our country’s asses sit. Except the children. Except the children like Stafford Foley.

The children frolic in the cold like little white bears. Know what the game means. There is a time in every child’s life when he or she wants us to regain the game, to be recognized by everyone as the greatest hockey nation in the world.

Happy Hockey Day in Canada, everyone! Go out there and be like a little white bear!

Ciao!

Note: If you love hockey then you should read Ken Dryden’s The Game, which, along with Hockey Dreams, is in my estimation one of the greatest Canadian books.

Note** (Warning … Toronto Maple Leafs and Mats Sundin rant ahead): Today marks the return of Mats Sundin to Toronto in the uniform of some other team. Whatever. As far as I’m concerned he’ll always be a Toronto Maple Leaf regardless of where he goes or plays. Much has been made about his return and what the reaction will be. Based on the circumstances under which he left the team, the feeling is that there are many in Toronto who resent Mr. Sundin for not waiving his no-trade clause and for not returning to Toronto. Like I said before, whatever. I’m not going to go into all the gory details of the 2008 trade deadline and what Mats said or didn’t say and how each one of his words should be dissected and how he took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to decide to come back and play. Whatever. For thirteen years, he was an amazing Toronto Maple Leaf. Amazing. He delivered, he never did anything to embarrass us or our city, he was exciting to watch and he provided some genuinely thrilling hockey moments. For a team that has waited 40 plus years for a Stanley Cup, we should be grateful for the moments of hockey pleasure that we enjoyed thanks to Mats. And now he’s gone and as has been repeatedly noted by the media, he had every right to leave and owes Toronto nothing. Very true. But here’s what the media always forgets to mention. Toronto doesn’t owe him anything either. The fulfillment of the contract goes both ways. He fulfilled his contracts to us 110%. If every player fulfilled their contracts to the degree that Mats Sundin does, the NHL would be a truly awesome place. But … newsflash … the Toronto Maple Leafs also fulfilled their contract to him. And as fans we fulfilled our contract to him. SO NOBODY OWES ANYBODY ANYTHING HERE. I personally hope that he is cheered tonight not because “we owe him anything” but because it would be a nice gesture of appreciation for his 13 years of service. That’s it. Yes, Mats Sundin was a great Toronto Maple Leaf and yes, Mats Sundin is a great hockey player, but he ain’t no Wayne Gretzky or Rocket Richard. And there’s my two cents.

Note ***: For those of you that have been patiently waiting for the waffle recipe, here it is. I have a 4-pocket Belgian waffle maker and this recipe yields two 4-pocket servings. So in essence I end up with 8 2-inch waffles. And now I shall never do math again.

My Favourite Waffles
From The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion.

2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp. coconut extract (you can use any extract you like or leave it out altogether)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (melt a little extra butter to use on your waffle iron)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar

You can use a mixer for this but you can also do it by hand with a whisk: whisk together the eggs, milk and extract until very foamy. If you can do it for a couple of minutes by hand, you’re a winner … otherwise use your mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the melted butter trying not to deflate the egg/milk mixture too much.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar and then add to the egg/milk/butter mixture all at once. Again mix it in gently with the rubber spatula.

Let the batter sit for 30 minutes. Just before the 30 minutes is up, heat your waffle iron.

This recipe makes two servings of four 2-inch waffles in my waffle iron. So I use half the batter for one set and the other half of the batter for the second set. Based on the yield of your waffle iron, use the according amount of batter.

Cook the waffles to your specification (we like them somewhat golden but not too hard or crispy).

Serve with lots of butter, maple syrup and fruit.

Enjoy!

I had intended January to be a month of breakfasts. As I explained in my first post in this series, after many years of ignoring the most important meal of the day, I was looking forward to sharing my newfound love for breaking the fast, so to speak.

And then January disappeared.

So I’ve decided to continue my little series into February in the hopes that we can all enjoy some special breakfasts!

Had I not wanted to continue the title for these series, I would have instead called this post, “Oatmeal, How Do I Love Thee, Let me Count the Ways!” To be frank, I cannot imagine my fall/winter without bubbling pots of oatmeal.

Oatmeal, of course, is the product of cooked oats. Whole oats (often called groats) are one of the most beneficial whole grains known to humans. Among numerous benefits, oats are packed full of fibre, provide calcium and are an excellent source of protein.

Okay. Now that the health information is out of the way, let’s get to the real reasons why oats are a true blessing.

To begin with, that bubbling pot of oatmeal that I referenced above would probably fall into my top five list of favourite things to eat. It is comfort with a capital C-O-M-F-O-R-T. I have been known to eat oatmeal not only for breakfast, but for lunch and yes, occasionally, for dinner. Said pot of oatmeal can be made at the beginning of the week and sustain you throughout the next five to seven days. One spoonful of warm oatmeal (with a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar, thank you very much), is akin to a hug to start the day.

The next reason to love oats is that with oats, you can make oatmeal cookies. I believe that on this point, no explanation is required.

Oats are also to be loved because when ground, you get oat flour that you can use to make bread, cookies and all sorts of other wonderful things.

I assure you that I am not on the payroll of any major oat company (not that I wouldn’t mind it). Rather, I just want everyone to know that Cream Puff loves her oats and by extension, her oatmeal.

My favourite brands of oats are the usual suspects: Quaker Oats, McCann’s Irish Oatmeal (for steel-cut oats) and when it’s on sale, Oats from Bob’s Red Mill.

To showcase my love of oatmeal for breakfast, I was going to prepare my standard oatmeal but as luck would have it, I have recently become enamoured of baked oatmeal.

Baked oatmeal uses all the same ingredients and add-ins that stove-top oatmeal does the difference being that baked oatmeal tends to have a slightly different texture. Depending on what you add, it can be airier and at times slightly cake-like. Baked oatmeal, in general, is also not as liquidy as stove-top oatmeal.

Awhile back I found a terrific recipe for Baked Oatmeal with Apples that I fell in love with. You can make this on a Sunday night and enjoy it for breakfast every day of the week. You can add all sorts of things to the recipe and of course you can use any fruit you like including pears, bananas and berries.

As you look towards next week and as you plan your meals, I hope you’ll consider this an option for breakfast!

Ciao!

Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Bananas and Walnuts
Based on this recipe from Kickpleat of Everybody Loves Sandwiches.

1 cup whole rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1-1/4 cups milk (use any type you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch pie plate (you can use any baking dish you like) with butter.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Pour into the pie plate and place on a baking sheet in case of spills.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed (but don’t cook it for too long or it will dry out too much).

Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm with yogurt and honey.

Enjoy!

So here’s my dirty little secret: For almost all of my 20s and part of my early 30s, I regularly skipped breakfast.

And by regularly I mean, almost all the time.

So there you have it. I don’t have a particularly good reason for being such a habitual offender beyond the most basic (and perhaps saddest), which is that I simply didn’t care enough to organize myself, to make time, to plan ahead and to prepare.

You see, they don’t call breakfast the most important meal of the day because they feel like it. It is the most important meal of the day. And any meal that’s the most important does require organization, time, planning and preparation.

My lack of all of the above led to the usual laundry list of ills associated with skipping meals: mid-morning hunger, low energy, snack attacks, weight gain and sluggishness.

In place of a fulfilling breafkast, I enjoyed a parade of mid-morning snacks purchased from the nearest coffee shop. These snacks involved coffee and some sort of sweet. I rationalized this terrible habit by telling myself that it was okay since I did manage to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and I always had a decent dinner.

It is amazing to me that someone that prides herself on being a good cook and baker, someone that prides herself on her family’s culinary traditions and that someone that prides herself on having a responsible attitude towards food could possibly have been so stupid.

But I was.

I’m not exactly sure what initiated my breakfast awareness, but shortly after I turned 30, it began to sink in that breakfast was a necessity and that with a good breakfast I’d be arming myself to have a good day.

I am happy to say that now, in my mid-30s, I have breakfast almost every day. (I still have about a handful of days a year when time gets the best of me and I don’t eat anything. Never said I was perfect!)

From Monday to Friday, my breakfasts are simple, straightforward and delicious. I will eat everything from cereal with fruit, yogurt with granola, yogurt with fruit, hot cereal and toast with butter and jam. What I have really depends on how I’m feeling. There are, however, a few common denominators regardless of what I’m having:

I always have fruit in some form every morning. Whether it’s berries in my cereal or an apple after I’ve had a slice of toast, I eat fruit every morning.

I always have dairy in some form every morning. A glass of milk. A cup of yogurt. Whatever the case may be, dairy for breakfast is good.

I only eat things that I like for breakfast. No matter how “healthy” something is, if you don’t like it, trying to force yourself to eat it is usually not going to end successfully. Over the years, I have learned what foods I like to eat in the morning and those are the ones that I enjoy. I love toast with butter and jam. But rather than eat refined white bread, I enjoy a variety of wholesome breads made with grains, nuts and seeds. And yes I still put butter and jam on my bread because butter and jam are beautiful things and a life without them wouldn’t be much fun (for me).

What do I do on Saturday and Sunday, you ask? Like most people, I have more time for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, which means that I can be a bit more elaborate in my preparations. Also, as I believe that indulgence (in moderation) is good for the soul, Saturdays and Sundays are the days that I like to make pancakes, waffles, omelettes, breakfast pastries and french toast. I don’t have these all the time, mind you, but if I do have them it will be on the weekend.

Making time for breakfast on a daily basis has changed my life. For starters, the urge to fall asleep at 11:00 every morning has disappeared. I feel better. I don’t feel like I’m 110 years old. I’ve lost weight. I look better. I’m healthier.

So what prompted this confession? After all of the indulgences of the holidays, I found myself thinking about what I would be cooking and eating during the month of January and that of course led to much contemplation about what I would choose as my Flavour of the Month.

I found myself perusing The Overburdened Bookshelf and my eyes settled on a book called Morning Food: Breakfasts, Brunches & More for Savoring the Best Part of the Day by Margaret Fox and John Bear. Here’s a book that I’ve had for several years but never used.

I suddenly found myself imagining a month of delicious breakfasts so I knew I had to choose this book as the Flavour of the Month. For the first recipe that I tried, I chose one called Kaiserschmarren (The Empoeror’s Omelette). I’m not a huge omelette fan but I chose this one when I realized that it’s actually a cross between an omelette and a pancake that I enjoyed when I was in Austria in 2006.

During my trip, I had the chance to have dinner with Angelika of The Flying Apple and for our dessert, we tried a very traditional dish that was a pancake of sorts that’s then torn apart with forks and served with various accompaniments like stewed fruit. Angelika strongly recommended that I try it (even though I was stuffed) and I did and certainly didn’t regret it.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try this dish at home, but this time for breakfast.

If you’re a breakfast eater, I congratulate you. If you’re a breakfast skipper, I’m not going to lecture you. I know what it’s like and believe me, you have to come to accept breakfast on your own terms. But take it from this reformed Cream Puff, you’re missing the best meal of the day!

Ciao!

Here are some recipes for this dish (can be enjoyed for breakfast or for dessert) that you might like:

http://www.thecookingadventuresofchefpaz.com/2008/01/27/kaiser-pancakes-kaiserschmarren/

http://www.austrianfood.net/2008/01/07/kaiserschmarren/

http://www.sheries-kitchen.com/recipes/german/kaiserschmarren.htm

http://www.hsn.com/wolfgang-puck-recipe-kaiserschmarren_at-2740_xa.aspx

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Kaiserschmarren

While I would argue that every season is cookbook season, I don’t think there’s any question that that the lead-up to Christmas is probably one of the most intense times for cookbook authors and publishers.

After all, cookbooks make great gifts.

Ahem. Hint. Hint.

Anyway, it’s usually around this time that friends will begin asking me, “So, if you had to buy someone a cookbook for Christmas, which one would it be?”

This year, there will be a number of cookbooks that I’ll be recommending and the first is today’s feature: à la di stasio by Josée di Stasio.

A television personality from Québec, Josée di Stasio’s book was previously released in French and has now been released in English.

In the cookbook’s opening pages, di Stasio writes that “enjoyment is the key word of this book” and to be honest, I don’t think there’s any better way to state my impression of this cookbook.

I could go into detail about layout and pictures (gorgeous and more gorgeous, respectively). I could go on and on about variety and quality of recipes (extensive and very good, respectively), but truth be told, I’d just be wasting your time.

Here’s what you need to know: this is a book for the entertainer in you. You know the one that wants to spend weekends just hanging around the house preparing really laid-back yet delicious meals. The one that wants to have those dinner parties that are totally effortless and stress-free (yes … those do exist). The one that just wants to be happy in the kitchen. If you recognize any one of those people, then you’ll love this cookbook.

As for the recipes, while I only tried two of them, I loved them both.

One was so easy and and turned out so well that we all just shook our heads and thought, “Why didn’t we think of this?” Pictured above are Ham and Egg Ramekins with the “ramekin” being a slice of bread. Seriously. It took about 10 minutes to pull this breakfast dish together and everyone loved it.

The second recipe I tried was pure indulgence for me: Caramel Spread. After tasting this spread for the first time on toast, we just started eating it by the spoonful. It’s a keeper, for sure.

Well I’ve wasted enough of your time. Go buy the book and start having some fun!

Ciao!

Ham and Egg RamekinsFrom à la di stasio by Josée di Stasio.

Serves 4.

4 slices of whole wheat bread (trim off crusts)
1 tablespoon softened butter
4 slices Black Forest ham
4 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a rolling pin, think out your slices of bread as much as possible (don’t go too thin or they’ll rip).

Divide the butter equally among the four slices and spread it on side of each slice.

On the unbuttered side of bread, lay a slice of Black Forest ham.

Carefully transfer the bread and ham to a muffin tin, making sure that the buttered side of the bread is the side that goes into the muffin cup.

Once all your bread and ham slices are in, crack open an egg and carefully drop one egg into each ham and bread cup.

Bake for 20 minutes and check the bread cups. If the egg is cooked, then remove otherwise keep it in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Once out of the oven, let rest for a few minutes before carefully popping out the bread ramekins. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I’m not one for swearing or cursing but I’m just going to come right out and say it, work is kicking my ass.

Badly.

And something very strange is happening to me. At the most inopportune moments during the day, my thoughts turn to pancakes.

Tall stacks of fluffy pancakes. Blueberry pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes. Pumpkin pancakes.

Pancakes dripping syrup. Pancakes glistening with melted butter.

Towers of pancakes surrounded by an adoring crowd of chocolate-drizzled strawberries.

All I want are some pancakes.

Sigh.

Ciao!

Ricotta Pancakes
From Bill Granger’s Bill’s: Breakfast, Lunch + Dinner.

Note: Over the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with Bill Granger. I’ve purchased three of his cookbooks including this one and I’m smitten. These pancakes were incredible!

1-1/2 cups ricotta (try to use a dry ricotta, otherwise drain your ricotta in a paper-towel lined colander overnight in the refrigerator)
1 tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plus two tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
unsalted butter (for cooking the pancakes)

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, milk and egg yolks. Mix well and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the ricotta mixture. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest and mix well.

In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until they’re stiff.

Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

Heat a pan or griddle and melt a few tablespoons of butter in the pan. Drop about a quarter cup of batter into the pan for each pancake. Don’t overcrowd the pan.

Cook for two to three minutes on the first side. The pancake will be golden. Flip and cook for an additional two minutes.

Serve warm with butter and syrup. Enjoy!

Buona fine e buon principio … I hope you had a happy end to 2007 and a happy beginning to 2008!

From Cream Puff and family, I send you all my very best wishes for a healthy year, filled with new pursuits, lots of fun and as much delicious food as you can handle.

My new year started off with some creamy Orange French Toast. Tanti auguri!

Ciao!

Orange French Toast

Note: You can make french toast with any bread you like but I love to make this particular recipe with Pandoro, which is an Italian panettone. Unlike other panettones it does not have raisins or candied fruit. It’s an eggy, rich bread that makes a very luxurious French toast. This recipe will serve 2.

4 slices of Pandoro, about half an inch thick
1/2 cup whole milk (you can use half-and-half cream if you want to be really decadent)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. orange zest
the juice of half an orange
a dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
creme fraiche, icing sugar and additional orange zest for garnish

In a large, wide bowl, combine the milk, egg yolks, sugar, orange zest, orange juice and cinnamon. Beat well with a whisk until mixed.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, dip your first Pandoro slice in the cream mixture.

Saute the Pandoro in the butter for a few minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate while you cook the remaining Pandoro slices.

For a special garnish, mix some creme fraiche with lemon zest and spoon onto the french toast. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Goodbye March!

You were a busy month. You whizzed right by me with almost no opportunity for me to bake. But it’s time for you to go now. April is knocking at the door and I see she’s bringing flour and eggs and baking pans.

But before you go, March, I wanted to thank you for bringing Beth Hensperger’s Bread for Breakfast with you. What an incredible book! Small, but worth every penny. Every recipe I tried was a pleasure and it’s so obvious that Ms. Hensperger is a lover of bread an an excellent teacher.

I had to try one more recipe, before I could let you take this book from me. Because dried apricots have always reminded me of little gems, I decided to try the Apricot, White Chocolate and Walnut Scones. Sure enough, out of the oven, the tiny pieces of apricot glimmered like jewels, surrounded by melty rings of white chocolate.

How I enjoyed these scones! Diets be damned, I piled them all high with butter and jam and made sure to lick my fingers when I was done.

So long, March. See you next year!

Ciao!

Technorati tags:  scones, dried apricots, beth hensperger, bread for breakfast

It’s difficult not to like Nigella Lawson. You’d have to be hard-hearted indeed not to fall prey to the charms of this intelligent, witty and yes - gorgeous - woman. As a television personality, her presence is infectious. Don’t we all wish we could look so good throwing egg shells into the sink?!

I own two of Nigella’s cookbooks and love them both. Simply put, her recipes work. Her Sticky Toffee Pudding (Nigella Bites) is probably one of my family’s favourite desserts. Her Madeira Cake (How to Be a Domestic Goddess) is a quick and reliable treat when you just have to have something sweet with your coffee. And if you can make her Christmas Pavlova (How to Be a Domestic Goddess) and not eat it all in one sitting, you’re a better Cream Puff than me.

I recently had the opportunity to review her most recent cookbook, Feast. Released in paperback in September 2006, Feast follows in the footsteps of Lawson’s previous books. Beautifully photographed and written, Feast is Lawson’s statement to the world that any special occasion is worthy of a food celebration.

The cookbook is divided into many sections that cover every imaginable festivity or important moment that would necessitate a special meal. While the obvious occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas are there, there are also sections devoted to Breakfast, Valentine’s Day and my personal favourite, the Midnight Feast.

I think that Lawson is an incredible writer and it shows both in the Introduction to the cookbook as well as the introductions to each section. It’s almost impossible to argue with her logic for going all out to prepare the meals of your dreams, whatever the occasion. I found the head notes to her recipes particularly enjoyable, especially the ones that offer a glimpse of her own family life. Nothing helps a reader to identify with a cookbook than a sense of camaraderie with the author.

I think this is Lawson’s greatest success as a cookbook author. She may not be a professional chef, but her recipes are enticing and well-written. And because she doesn’t talk down to her reader, it’s easy to visualize yourself making the recipes. It’s easy to imagine what those dishes will look like on your own table in your own kitchen.

Feast has something for everyone. It will satisfy the the carnivore, the vegetarian and the cream puffs (that is, those who crave sweets!) among us. And I warn you, the pictures will make your mouth water.

As I read through the cookbook, I found the recipes to be clear and well-presented. Well-suited to the home cook, the recipes can be easily managed by cooks of all backgrounds and levels of experience. For those with a bit more experience, I think the recipes are generous enough that they invite improvisation and adaptation. After all, what’s better than a cookbook with recipes that inspire you to bigger and better things?

But the final proof, as they say, is in the pudding so it was time to roll up my sleeve and try some of the recipes. The first recipe I tried was Andy’s Fairfield Granola. Lawson got this recipe from Andy Rolleri of The Pantry deli in Fairfield, Connecticut. I’m a bit of a tough judge when it comes to granola recipes as I personally think that I make a mean granola.

I was pleasantly surprised by this granola recipe. It was easy to pull together and the end result was a nutty granola that was crunchy, but not too sweet. The only hiccup in the recipe as far as I was concerned was the use of brown rice syrup or rice malt syrup. I have no idea where to locate those ingredients so I used golden syrup instead(the recipe gives you that option) and I don’t think the granola suffered one bit. I also added dried cherries for colour. Delicious!

Having started with a lovely breakfast, I thought it was time to move directly to dessert. But then I thought that I should at least try one of the savoury recipes in the book. Cream Puff cannot live on dessert alone.

I found myself repeatedly drawn to a recipe for Hot Pepper Relish to be served with melon. This relish is Georgian in origin and can be kept refrigerated for several weeks. While I didn’t want to have it with melon, I was intrigued by the relish as we enjoy spicy condiments with many of the foods we eat.

I made my version of this pepper relish with hot banana peppers and jalapenos (as opposed to red chiles in the original). I also topped my relish off with olive oil after I put it in a glass jar. Without question, this was a huge hit! We ate the entire jar of relish in one sitting on toasted bread rubbed with garlic. It was spicy with a nice vinegary bite. I’ve already gotten requests for seconds.

Having gotten the savoury out of the way (yes … I know … relish isn’t the best representation of savoury but what can I say … I’m a Cream Puff), it was time to go for dessert.

As soon as I saw the photograph of the Baci di Ricotta, piled high on a beautiful stand and covered in icing sugar, I dreamt of making them. Made with ricotta, eggs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract, these ricotta fritters were a snap to pull together. The batter comes together in less time than it takes to heat the oil. One of the other attractive points of this recipe is that while you are frying in oil, you’re not frying in a lot of oil, which is nice for those that are intimidated of deep frying.

These fritters were golden on the outside and feather-light on the inside. We gobbled them up warm, drenched in icing sugar which actually melted into the warmish fritters. Heaven!

Having had our dessert appetizer, it was time to get serious. We unbuckled our belts and undid our pant buttons, ready to dig into cheesecake … Chestnut Cheesecake. I have a huge love of chestnuts and find beautifully roasted chestnuts impossible to resist. This particular cheesecake called for chestnut puree which I’d never tried before. My very well stocked supermarket carries a lovely chestnut puree from France. Besides the puree, this is a very straightforward cheesecake. I decided to give my new mini-cheesecake pans a try and was pleased at how beautifully the little cheesecakes turned out. While they would have been quite good on their own, they’re pushed over the top by a rum syrup which compliments the chestnut filling perfectly.

While I would count the Hot Pepper Relish and the Baci di Ricotta as my favourites, all four recipes turned out exceedingly well. And believe me, I’m looking forward to trying many more. Who knew feasting on Nigella could taste so good?!

Ciao!

Hot Pepper Relish

Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson.

• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
• 1 celery stick, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
• 2 banana peppers, cut lengthwise and the seeds removed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, cut lengthwise and the seeds removed
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed
• 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients, except the parsley, vinegar, salt and olive oil, in the bowl of a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped.
2. Add the parsley, vinegar and salt, and pulse 4 or 5 times. Taste the relish and adjust the seasoning according to your own tastes.
3. Place the relish in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
4. Remove the relish from the refrigerator and spoon into a fine-mesh sieve. Let the relish sit in the sieve for 5 minutes to allow some of the excess liquid to drain.
5. Spoon the relish into a sterilized glass jar, leaving an inch at the top of the jar. Pour the olive oil in, a bit at a time, allowing the olive oil to seep down into the relish.
6. Store the relish in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
7. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:  nigella lawson, feast, granola, relish, peppers, cheesecake, chestnuts

What exactly is schmecks?

I was pondering this very question shortly after reading an e-mail from Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Sensual Gourmet asking me if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing a cookbook by the eminent Canadian writer, Edna Staebler. The cookbook in question happens to be called Food That Really Schmecks.

Born in 1906 in Kitchener, Ontario, Edna Staebler spent her life devoting herself to the pursuit of writing and journalism. Her work appeared in publications like Maclean’s, Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest, to name just a few. A recognized author, Ms. Staebler was awarded the Order of Canada in 1996, the culmination of a lifetime of achievement.

She is perhaps best know, however, for a series of cookbooks that she wrote detailing the cooking and way-of-life of Ontario’s Mennonite community. Her cookbooks, more than just a record of recipes, are a record of a time that seems long-gone now. Her skills as a keeper and teller of recipes are matched only by her skills as a teller of stories.

The charm of Staebler’s cookbooks are the anecdotes that she shares. Each recipe is introduced with a description that sketches out a time, a place and a dish. Her presentation is simple and straightforward, honest and strong, and Canadian to the core.

Perhaps the best quality of Food That Really Schmecks is the food itself. There is no haute cuisine or molecular gastronomy to be found here. Rather, there is the good, hearty and simple food of good, hearty and simple people. It’s the epitome of comfort food in all it’s stick-to-your-ribs glory.

That is not to say that some of the recipes aren’t a bit strange-sounding. But that in and of itself lends the book even more charm. I mean who wouldn’t want to find out exactly what Seven-Cent Pudding is? And I for one would love to be served a piece of Compromise Cake.

Before receiving my copy of this cookbook, I had only heard of Edna Staebler once or twice. I knew very little about her and I had never seen one of her cookbooks. But after having read Food That Really Schmecks and tried a recipe or two, I could see why Ms. Staebler was so admired and loved. She is like the dear aunt that we all know and love. The one with all the common sense and experience. The one who can tell a great story and make a great dinner. The one who is smart and wise.

Jasmine had the opportunity to meet Ms. Staebler prior to her passing on September 12, 2006. I’m so happy that Jasmine had the chance to do so, as well as the chance to tell others about this lovely woman. I think we’re all the richer for it.

As for my initial question about the word schmecks, I did a bit of searching and found that while there is no precise meaning, it’s often used as a way of saying something is tasty or yummy or good.

If that’s the case, then Food That Really Schmecks really does schmeck!

Ciao!

Cheddar Cherry Rolls

Adapted from Food That Really Schmecks by Edna Staebler.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. cold butter
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dried cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Cut the butter into tiny pieces and add to the flour mixture.
4. With a pastry cutter or with your fingers, mix the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse mixture.
5. Slowly add the milk, gathering the flour into a ball. As soon as it forms a ball of dough, stop adding milk (you may not have to add it all).
6. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll the dough out until it’s about half an inch thick.
7. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese and dried cherries over the dough. Beginning at the edge closest to you, roll the dough up like a jelly roll.
8. Cut the roll into one-inch rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the rounds are golden.
10. Serve warm.
11. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe is based on a recipe for Cheese Rolls found on p. 187 in Food That Really Schmecks. We enjoy eating cheese with dried fruit so I decided to pair cheddar with dried cherries for my version. This recipe will yield 8 to 10 rolls.

Technorati tags:  edna staebler, food that really schmecks, cheddar, cherries

There is nothing that Cream Puffs like more than long, slow, decadent Sunday breakfasts. Sometimes it’s pancakes, sometimes it’s waffles and sometimes, it simply has to be French Toast. Now that I have taken my first baby steps in the world of bread baking, I thought it was high time that I tried my hand at actually baking the bread that we’d use for Sunday morning breakfast.

Generally, I favour challah or sour dough bread for French Toast. Challah seems to be a favourite among Sunday brunchers, but I like the taste of tangy sour dough that’s a few days old and then dipped in an eggy/milky mixture and cooked in lots of butter. I suppose I’d like anything cooked in lots of butter.

But for my attempt at baking bread for French Toast, I decided to try my hand at a recipe for pain au lait from Linda Haynes’ The Ace Bakery Cookbook. As you know I’m featuring this book, as well as Linda’s newest, More From Ace Bakery, as the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavours of the Month for November 2006. The Pain au Lait is from Linda’s first book and forms the basis of many subsequent recipes in the book including bread pudding.

Pain au lait, as the title suggests, is bread made with milk. The bread begins with a starter of yeast, water and unbleached hard white flour (flour that is very high in protein). The starter is allowed to ferment for about six hours, at which point it is ready to use.

The dough for the bread consists of water, more unbleached hard white flour, semolina flour, sugar, butter, whole milk, eggs, yeast, salt and of course the starter. Once the entire mixture has been combined and kneaded to the point where the dough is smooth, you let the dough rise for a few hours, or until it has almost doubled in size.

The dough can be shaped and baked in loaf pans, or it can be shaped into boules (or whatever other shape you  prefer). After another two to three hours of rising time, the loaves are baked in a hot oven for about 40 minutes.

The end result are very light loaves with a lovely golden crust. The crumb reminds me of brioche, but isn’t quite as eggy or heavy as brioche. The bread generally has a slightly sweet taste and is perfect for soaking up butter, jam or whatever else you choose to top it with.

I decided to use my pain au lait for one of my French Toast favourites:  Coconut French Toast. Instead of mixing milk, eggs and sugar for the French Toast base, I like to use coconut milk, eggs and sugar. I also add a few drops of coconut extract to really emphasize the coconut flavour. I defrost a handful of the blueberries I squirrel away during the summer and somehow the little blue gems don’t make me feel so bad about all the butter and syrup!

Ciao!

Coconut French Toast

Adapted from Brunch by Louise Pickford.

• 8 slices of bread (I like to use challah or sour dough, but today used pain au lait), thickly cut (about an inch)
• 1 cup canned coconut milk (use full fat coconut milk)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp. sugar or maple syrup
• 1 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• butter (for the frying pan)
• icing sugar
• blueberries

1. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, the eggs, the sugar or maple syrup, the coconut extract (if using) and the vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
2. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a large fry pan.
3. Dip a slice of bread in the coconut milk/egg mixture, letting it soak up the liquid for about a minute on each side.
4. Place the bread in the melted butter and saute until it’s nice and golden on each side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Transfer to a serving dish.
5. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread.
6. Once the bread has all been cooked, dust with icing sugar and serve with blueberries and lots of butter and syrup.
7. Enjoy!

Note:  Serves 4. The original recipe from Louise Pickford uses panettone as the bread of choice.

For some other posts about pain au lait, check out these posts:

• Rosa’s Yummy Yums
• Banlieue Blog

Technorati tags:  pain au lait, ace bakery, french toast, coconut

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been challenged! The gauntlet has been thrown down by none other than the brilliant photographer and fantastic cook Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey?.

Not only did Meeta organize an event with sixty plus participants, she took the time out of her schedule to send me a postcard. And a postcard of her own making no less! Meeta sent me this lovely picture of blueberries and red currants and on the back she challenged me to create something using those two ingredients.

The only question … would Cream Puff choose to accept the challenge?

I’ve already made a few pies with blueberries and red currants so that was out of the question. Almost immediately, I thought of some sort of fruit sauce that I could pour over a slice of pound cake or maybe a bowl of vanilla ice cream. I did some searching on Epicurious for ideas and found a recipe for Summer’s Best Blueberry Sauce that put me on the road to my end result:  Blueberry and Red Currant Sauce.

The photo in the recipe for Summer’s Best Blueberry Sauce was ingrained in my mind so I decided to try my sauce over some freshly made waffles smothered in butter. Glorious!

Meeta, I hope I have fulfilled the challenge to your liking.

This post will self-destruct in five seconds …

Ciao!

Blueberry and Red Currant Sauce

Inspired by this recipe from www.epicurious.com.

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup red currants
• a small piece of lemon rind

1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil, stirring often to ensure that the sugar dissolves and that there are no lumps.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved (3 to 5 minutes), add the blueberries, currants and lemon rind.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil again, stirring often.
4. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly until the mixture has reduced by at least one-third. You can reduce it further if you want a really thick sauce.
5. Taste the sauce and adjust according to your own tastes (more sugar or lemon juice if you want it).
6. Turn off the heat. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the skins and any seeds. Let it cool and then pour into an airtight container and refrigerate.
7. The sauce can be served directly from the refrigerator (you may have to shake the container a bit to mix it up) or you can reheat it. It will keep for a week or so.
8. Enjoy.

Technorati tags:  blueberries, red currants, waffles

The more observant among you may have noticed that I like sweets and that I like to bake. Hope I wasn’t too obvious about it! As I lazed about in true Cream Puff fashion wondering what sweet to make next, I realized that I haven’t spent any time on savory dishes from the Cream Puffs in Venice Flavour of the Month: Out to Brunch by Donna Dooher and Claire Stubbs.

My chronic sweet tooth means that I almost always choose something sweet for brunch. But I’m an equal opportunity Cream Puff so I decided to try something savory for a change. But what to make?

I decided to try some culinary golf and see if I could score (???) a hole in one, so to speak. If I’ve mangled any golf terminology you’ll have to forgive me. I’m a Canadian Cream Puff and my knowledge of sports terminology is mainly confined to hockey.   

Anyway … the golf equivalent of a hat trick is what I ended up with! A simple yet completely satisfying dish, you’ve probably had a version of this at some point in your life. It’s basically a slice of the best bread you can find, with a little hole cut out in the middle. A fresh egg is lovingly nestled in the hole and then cooked (either baked or fried) until ready. Serve with bacon and you have the perfect brunch dish. And no matter how old you are cutting a circle out of the bread and planting your little egg inside is just plain old fun!

I shall be returning to my beloved sweets soon, but for today, I’m going to make like Tiger Woods and enjoy my hole in one.

Fore!

Hole in One

Adapted from Out to Brunch by Donna Dooher and Claire Stubbs

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 slices sturdy bread, sliced 1-inch thick (I used sourdough bread.)
• 4 large eggs
• salt and pepper

1. Butter both sides of the bread. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out a hole in the centre of each slice of bread. Reserve the cutout pieces of bread.
2. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet and saute the cutout pieces of bread until golden; set aside.
3. Add a bit more butter to the pan if necessary, and lay the bread in the pan. You may have to cook these two at a time so as not to overcrowd your pan. Cook the bread for one minute and then turn. Gently crack an egg into the centre of each slice of bread. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bread begins to toast and turn golden on the bottom. Carefully, flip the slices of bread over and fry for another 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Serve with bacon and the fried cutout pieces of bread to dip into the egg yolk.
6. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4.

As part of the May Eat Local Challenge, I used eggs purchased from one of Ontario’s egg farmers. The delicious eggs I used were from the Clark Poultry Farm in Port Perry, Ontario!

Technorati tags:  eggs, brunch, mildred pierce, eat local challenge

When I was a very little girl, my mother would get up extra early on weekend mornings and make pancakes. Her pancakes, as with all the food she cooks, were perfect. They were golden rounds of puffed up goodness that I would happily drench in maple syrup. No matter what was happening in our household, I always knew that my mother would make those pancakes for me. And I loved her for it.

Several years ago, when I first made Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, I was surprised as I watched my mother eat them. Her eyes lit up and her face took on the look that I must have had on my face when she would make her pancakes for me. So every Mother’s Day I must make these pancakes for my mother. They are gorgeous and fluffy and fat … and they taste the very best when you smother them in butter and the very best maple syrup you can find.

Because I’ve made these for my mother I hope you’ll forgive my use of blueberries at this time of year which is decidedly not eating locally. We’re still a ways off from blueberry season in Ontario. But hey … it’s for my mom!

Happily, this pancake recipe comes from my favourite brunch book, the same one that I’ve chosen as the Flavour of the Month:  Out to Brunch from the restaurant Mildred Pierce. If you ever have the chance to visit the restaurant and order these pancakes, please do. You will not be sorry.

In the meantime, I’m off to give my mother a big hug and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day.

And I send those same wishes to all of you and to all the wonderful mothers out there!

Ciao!

Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Adapted from Out to Brunch by Donna Dooher and Claire Stubbs.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• unsalted butter to cook the pancakes

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
2. In another bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk and melted unsalted butter and mix well.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently, preferably with a spatula, just until the ingredients are all wet. The batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix!
4. In a pan, melt 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Ladle the batter into the pan 1/3 of a cup at a time. Depending on the size of your pan you can make 2 or 3 pancakes at a time. If you want smaller pancakes use less batter.
5. Sprinkle the blueberries over the pancakes and cook until bubbles appear along the edges and surface of the pancakes. The edges will begin to brown slightly (should take 2 or 3 minutes).
6. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
7. Serve the pancakes with butter and maple syrup.
8. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will make 12 pancakes. Remember not to over mix the batter and do not cook over very high heat or the butter will burn.

Technorati tags:  blueberries, pancakes, brunch, mildred pierce, mother’s day

Mildred’s daughter Veda has a message for you.

She wants you to eat her mother’s scones. And she wants you to make sure that you smother the scones in copious amounts of double cream and jam (preferably strawberry).

Why should you do what Veda says? In a review of the movie Mildred Pierce on www.dvdtalk.com, Glenn Erickson writes the following of Veda, "Audiences had certainly never seen a female reptile like Veda on screen before … Veda greedily consumes luxuries, pretending to love their source while constantly angling for a better deal … Veda takes the cake for sheer nerve. Her callous exploitation … is the work of a junior-league Borgia."

Still not convinced that you should do what Veda says? Well, let me put it to you this way:  she’s an evil, conniving, manipulating murderess who would stop at nothing … NOTHING … to have her way.

So if Veda says you should eat a scone … eat the scone.

Ciao!

Mildred’s Scones

Adapted from Out to Brunch by Donna Dooher and Claire Stubbs.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup shortening, cold
• 1/3 cup dried black currants
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture.
4. Break the shortening into little pieces and add to the mixture.
5. With your fingertips, work the flour, butter and shortening together until it resembles a coarse, oatmeal-like mixture.
6. Add the currants and lemon zest and stir.
7. Add the cream and mix gently until a ball forms.
8. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and either pat the dough or roll it out into a 1/2-inch circle.
9. Using a 2-inch cutter, cut the dough into rounds.
10. Transfer the rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the rounds with a bit of heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
11. Reroll the scraps and cut out more scones. If scraps are too small to roll out then pat them into circles of 1-inch thickness.
12. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the scones have risen and are golden.
13. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will yield 12 to 16 scones, depending on the size.

Technorati tags:  food, scones, mildred pierce

So who exactly is Mildred Pierce?

Well, imagine this. Imagine Hollywood, in the late 1940s. Imagine a woman with dark hair and fiery red lips. She’s passionate. She’s flawed. She’s gorgeous. She’s the jilted wife. The long-suffering mother. Her life is a drama fit for the silver screen.

But you can’t get just anyone to play Mildred. No. You get Joan Crawford, a woman who knows controversy. She’s perfect. She is Mildred Pierce! And you know you made the right choice because Ms. Crawford goes on to win an Oscar for her portrayal of Mildred. The movie, released in 1945, is a classic.

So when you decide to name your restaurant Mildred Pierce, after the movie, you’ve got to do it right. The restaurant has to be sumptuous and luxurious. It has to have a classic Hollywood feel to it. We’re all strangers when we dine there. And yet while we’re sitting there, amidst the flowing curtains and rich colours, we all feel a bit like a starlet or a leading man.

By the very act of dining at Mildred Pierce, it’s like you’re in the movie. Look … there’s spoiled Veda. And over there … I think that’s deceitful Monte. And isn’t that … why yes it is … it’s Wally Fay. And sitting in the curtained alcove … smoking a cigarette … there’s Mildred herself. Well I’ll be! You just never know who you’re going to see when you go to dinner.

And when you do go to Mildred Pierce, especially for brunch, you can’t just have any old thing. You must have a drink like Mildred’s Passion or Veda’s Revenge. You must break your fast with dishes like Huevos Monty or Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. Or you can have the most decadent granola you’ve ever had in your life!

You’ll taste it and be amazed that it’s actually healthy … that’s how rich it is. If you have a bit of conscience left you’ll remember that your trying to eat locally grown and produced foods so you’ll soak your granola in milk from Hewitt’s Dairy. You’ll do it because the milk tastes creamy and cool. Not just because it’s produced by a family that’s been in business in Ontario for over 100 years.

So that’s what it’s like to have brunch at Mildred Pierce. And when you’re done, you touch up your red lipstick or slick back your hair one more time and then you make your grand exit. And you know that every eye in the joint is on you as you leave.

Now if only you could just get someone to peel you a grape …

Ciao!

Crunchy Coconut Macadamia Granola with Honey

Adapted from Out to Brunch by Donna Dooher and Claire Stubbs.

• 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (original recipe calls for 1/2  teaspoon)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon orange oil (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon)
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the sunflower seeds, the pumpkin seeds and the almonds and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes.
3. Add the shredded coconut and toast for an additional 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the coconut because it can burn quickly.
4. Remove the nuts and coconut and set aside to cool down completely.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
6. Combine the oat bran, rolled oats, cinnamon and ginger.
7. In a pan, melt the butter. Add the honey and orange oil and mix well.
8. Pour the butter/honey mixture over the oat mixture and mix well.
9. Spread the oat mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the oat mixture. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cool, break the granola apart into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add the cooled nuts and coconut, the macadamia nuts, currants and apricots.
12. Store the granola in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
13. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe will make about 5 cups of granola. Orange oil is a highly concentrated orange extract that should be used sparingly. While the original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, I would only use 1/4 teaspoon to start. If you want more of an orange flavour use more the next time you make the granola. The orange oil should be stored in the refrigerator once opened.

The image of the Mildred Pierce poster is courtesy of www.filmsite.org.

Technorati tags:  granola, macadamia nuts, mildred pierce

What is that glorious scent? Something warm and eggy in the air is pulling me out of a deep sleep. It’s calling me, more and more forcefully, urging me to wake up and make my way to the kitchen.

Incredibly I resist wakefulness. I’m so tired. I went to bed at 3:30 a.m. after baking the crust for a lemon meringue tart that we’ll be enjoying after our Easter feast. I’m soooooo tired. I can’t get up! I won’t get up!

But wait … there it is again. That mouth-watering smell now yanking at my senses and literally pulling my eyelids open. My head makes its own way from out under the covers, all the better to get at that olfactory feast in the air. Before I know it, my hands are reaching out and stretching. I can’t take it anymore. Even though I’m still bone-tired, I have to get up and discover what the yumminess is that has awoken me.

Bleary-eyed I make my way gingerly down the stairs. I shuffle into the kitchen and am instantly enveloped in the oven’s warmth. And perched on the stove, like a trophy, is the source of the aroma that is making my mouth water in anticipation. It’s the pan of Lemony Bread-Pudding French Toast that I’d prepared the night before … or wait … was it in the wee hours of this same morning? Hmmm … don’t remember and quite frankly don’t care either!

I rush to the refrigerator and dig madly for the little tub of crème fraîche hiding behind two legs of lamb, bunches of broccoli raab, stuffed olives waiting to be fried, the lemon curd filling for my tart, green beans, two huge bags of salad that I painstakingly washed, a container of artichoke pâté for the antipasto, a hunk of Gorgonzola, more lemons than I can count, a package containing a pound and a half of thinly-sliced Prosciutto di Parma, grape tomatoes and a beautiful bunch of red grapes. Somewhere, behind all that food, my now wide-awake fingers find the precious tub. As I pull my arm out I almost knock over a bottle of Riesling, but at this point I’m too frantic to care.

I serve myself a most generous slice of french toast, pile on the crème fraîche and drown it all in pure maple syrup. I’m not even fully-seated at the kitchen table before I already have a huge piece of french toast in my mouth. I look like Nigella Lawson downing Yorkshire pudding covered in cream and golden syrup. But I don’t care. I’m in heaven.

And then it slowly comes back to me. I remember buying the white sandwich bread at the supermarket (yes … I know … refined white bread is bad for you but what can I say … it’s my weakness). I remember mixing together eggs and milk and deciding to use five eggs even though the recipe called for six. I remember buttering a glass baking dish and stacking twelve slices of bread in four piles of three. I remember pouring the egg and milk mixture on the bread and mushing it down with my fingers. I remember covering the dish and tucking it away in the refrigerator (how did I manage to close the door with all that food in there?) to sit overnight.

The rest is a blur. Something to do with a tart crust, washing salad, using the food processor to make an artichoke appetizer and stumbling into bed exhausted. The unbelievably luscious french toast has now revived me enough to figure out that my lovely mamma put the dish in the oven about an hour earlier to bake into a puffed and golden dish of goodness.

And of course, I now remember that this was my contribution to the fourth Weekend Cookbook Challenge hosted by Alicat of Something So Clever and Sara of I Like to Cook.

But most importantly, I remember that it’s Easter morning. The sun is shining. My mother and I are enjoying our brunch dish, feeling our spirits lift and energizing ourselves for the hours to come when we will be preparing lunch for thirteen people.

I remember. And I am so happy.

Ciao!

Lemony Bread-Pudding French Toast

Adapted from Lemon Zest by Lori Longbotham.

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 5 large eggs (original recipe uses 6 eggs)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 slices white bread (I used Wonder Bread, but Lori suggests using Pepperidge Farm Original White bread.)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted  butter, at room temperature
• pure maple syrup

1. Bring the milk just to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest. Allow to steep for 10 minutes and then pour the milk through a sieve to remove the zest. Allow the milk to cool for an additional 15 minutes.
2. Whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the milk and whisk well.
3. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Arrange the bread in the dish in 4 stacks of 3 slices. You may have to squish the sides of the bread together to get it all to fit in.
4. Slowly pour the egg/milk mixture over the bread. You may have to stop every once and a while to allow the liquid to seep in. Once you’ve poured it all in, press down on the bread with your fingers to submerge the bread. Cover the dish and refrigerate it overnight.
5. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. In a small bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar into a paste. Spread over the top of the french toast.
7. Bake the french toast for an hour or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
8. Let the french toast cool for 10 minutes and then serve with maple syrup and crème fraîche if you have it!
9. Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe serves 4 to 6 people. The only recommendation that I would make that is different from the original recipe is that you put the dish on a baking sheet before putting it into the oven. It rises quite a bit and you may have some liquid fall over the side onto the floor of your oven. The baking sheet will protect your oven from any spills.

Technorati tags:  weekend cookbook challenge, french toast, lemons