Monday, November 7, 2011

Egg Nog French Toast

Photo Credit: Pinch My Salt


Mmm...Mmm! Last weekend it snowed here in Rhode Island and along with that Egg Nog also arrived!! To honor the arrival of Egg Nog Season I decided to give a nod to the amazing blog, Pinch My Salt. A few years back Spiked Egg Nog was featured and caught my eye. It has now become a favorite of mine for Egg Nog Season Breakfast on those cold snowy mornings!

 As stated on the Pinch my Salt site the French Toast can be made with and without the Rum using Vanilla Extract as a Substitute. You can also cook the alcohol off the Rum in a saute pan too if you want to keep the flavor in but, not the alcohol.

Enjoy!!

Spiked Egg Nog French Toast (adapted from Pinch My Salt)

2 Extra Large Eggs
1/2 cup of Munroe Dairy Egg Nog
2 tbsp of Spiced Rum ( I used Mount Gay)
1/4 tspn of Pumpkin Pie Spice*
6 Slices of Cinnamon Raisin Bread

 In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, egg nog, rum and spices.
Over medium to medium high heat warm a griddle or large saute pan. Grease the pan with butter!
Dip the slices of bread in the egg mixture making sure the bread absorbs the liquid. Cook the bread on the griddle until each side is golden brown with a slight crisp. If making a  large batch of French Toast keep the cooked pieces warm in the oven at a low temperature of 250*f.
Top the finished toast with Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar or even a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream!

*If you do not have Pumpkin Pie Spice you can substitute with a combination of the following of Nutmeg and Cinnamon. There is also plenty of spice in the Egg Nog and Rum if you want to go with out.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Cornbread Stuffing with Fresh Cranberries and Pecans



  I am in love with the Kenyon Mills Cornmeal and Corn Muffin Mix. This year it will also be taking a place on my Thanksgiving table. The other week I was playing around with recipes for a cornbread stuffing wanting to keep it simple but, also flavorful. With cranberries being a traditional fall favorite here in New England I knew they were a must and the pecan just add that perfect rich nutty flavor to balance it all out. 
Use the Kenyon's Corn Muffin Mix to make the either muffins or bread for the stuffing. You will be breaking them apart for the stuffing. 

Ingredients:
 6 cups of Cornbread broken apart into 1" pieces
 2 cups of Fresh Cranberries
2 cups of coarsely chopped Pecans    
 3 Ribs of Celery (chopped)
 2 Yellow Onions (diced)
 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
 1 tbsp of fresh Rosemary
 1 tbsp of fresh Sage
 1/2 tbsp of Sea Salt
 1/4 tbsp of Fresh Ground Pepper
 1/4 cups of butter (chopped into small pieces)
 1/4 cup of Brown or Maple Sugar*
 1 cup Dry White Wine
 1 cup of Chicken or Turkey Stock

  Cut the cooled cornbread into 1" pieces, this does not have to be perfect. Spread the cornbread out onto two baking sheets and leave out over night to stale covered with a tea towel or in the oven. If you do not have time to leave the cornbread out overnight, or if you fear nibblers might be getting into your stock, you can bake the sheets of cornbread at 400* for 20 minutes. 
 For toasting the pecans: Warm a large skillet with 1/2 a tablespoon of butter over medium heat, once the butter is melted toss in the chopped pecan coating them with the melted butter. Once the pecan give off a nutty scent remove them from the heat and place them to the side to cool. 
 In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients mixing well with either a large spoon or spatula. Make sure to add the liquid in parts while gently mixing the stuffing as to not break up the corn bread or get it soggy. 
 The stuffing is best cooked inside of the Bird. Always remember to stuff the bird with room temperature stuffing right before putting it in the oven. Loosely stuff the bird's cavity, this with make the stuffing retain crispness and allow for better airflow while roasting.

For baking of the stuffing outside of a bird:

 Preheat Oven to 350*f. In a large shallow baking baking dish fill with stuffing and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the stuffing is browned and crisp on top.