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Food & Recipes: December 2011 Archives

Tuesday December 20, 2011

Julie Van Rosendaal - Holiday cooking

AhHlZd7CQAE7pKz.jpgOn Tuesday's Eyeopener, Julie Van Rosendaal stopped by with some fantastic holiday baking ideas.

Crme Brle French Toast

adapted from Gourmet, July 1998

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. maple or Roger's Golden syrup
1 large day-old loaf unsliced bread
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk or half & half
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and syrup, stirring until smooth. Pour into a 9"x13" pan that has been buttered or sprayed with nonstick spray, tilting it to let it coat the bottom.

Cut the bread into 1" thick slices - a large loaf of bread, the kind that looks like a chef's hat when sliced, will produce 6 thick slices if you remove the ends. Fit them snugly into the pan, laying them down flat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk or cream, vanilla and salt. Pour over the bread, coating it completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to a day.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F and bring bread to room temperature. Bake until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.


Milk Punch

Adapted from Canal House, v.2

5 cups whole milk and half-and-half (4:1 is suggested, but I went with half 1% and half half & half)
1 1/2 cups bourbon, another whiskey or brandy, or Jack Daniels honey liqueur
1 cup icing sugar
2-3 tsp. vanilla
Freshly grated nutmeg

Whisk everything together in a pitcher and freeze until slushy, which will take 3 to 4 hours, but you can leave it in there up to a day. Serve topped with freshly grated nutmeg.

Fig & Walnut No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl stir together the flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Add the figs, walnuts and cinnamon and stir to sort of combine - the cinnamon will be streaky. That's OK. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and let it rest on the countertop for 18-24 hours at room temperature.

The dough is ready when its surface is wet looking and bubbly. Put a piece of parchment on the countertop and scrape the dough out onto it; dust the surface generously with flour and fold the dough over itself a couple times; sprinkle again with flour and cover with a tea towel. (Make sure it's not terry cloth, which will stick.) Let it sit for another hour or two, or even three or four.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. Pull the pot out of the oven, lift up the dough on the sheet of parchment and drop it into the pot. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until crusty and golden. Remove from the pot and cool on a wire rack, or eat warm.


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Categories: Columnists, Food & Recipes, Past Episodes

Tuesday December 20, 2011

Talking Turkey with the Eyeopener's Julie Van Rosendaal

On Tuesday, December 20th, Julie Van Rosendaal joined us for a live chat to offer turkey tips and other holiday cooking advice! Click the play button below to review Tuesday's chat.

Categories: Columnists, Food & Recipes, Past Episodes

Tuesday December 13, 2011

Julie Van Rosendaal - Bacon Shortbread

Af_ig5SCIAApkhM.jpgThis week, Julie's spin of the "Wheel of Meats & Holiday Treats" lands on "Bacon Shortbread".

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Bacon Shortbread

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup bacon drippings, chilled
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3-4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, bacon fat and icing sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low speed or stir until almost blended. Add the crumbled bacon and stir just until blended.

Divide the dough in half and press each into an 8" or 9" pan; score dough into 8 wedges and press around the outer edge with the tines of a fork.

Bake in middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, and cut into wedges with a sharp knife. Makes 32 wedges.

Bacon Shortbread with Salted Ale (or Stout) Caramel

1 batch bacon shortbread (above)

Caramel:
about half a bottle of ale or stout, divided
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup corn syrup or Roger's golden syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark or semisweet chocolate

Pat the bacon shortbread dough into an 8x8-inch pan and bake at 325F for 30 minutes, until very pale golden around the edges and set. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer 1/2 cup of the ale for about 20 minutes, until it's reduced by more than half.

In a largish pot (it will bubble up) combine 1/4 cup more of the ale (from the bottle), sugars, butter, cream, syrup and salt over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 244F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the reduced ale and pour over the shortbread base. Let stand or chill until firm.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring until melted. Spread over the set caramel and let stand or refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and invert the squares onto a cutting board, then cut into squares or bars with a sharp, heavy knife. Makes about 32 bars.

Categories: Columnists, Food & Recipes, Past Episodes