Panettone French Toast Skewers with Blueberry Compote

Panettone French Toast Skewers with Blueberry Compote
Serves 6
This is my favorite Sunday breakfast! The panettone is Italian bread studded with dried fruits and sometimes chocolate chips. It has much more flavor than the traditional French bread used for this type of preparation. You can make your own panettone with the recipe on this site or opt for the store bought variety. I’ve used both and both are delicious. The blueberry compote is a welcome accompaniment. Tart and sweet at the same, you’ll never miss the syrup!

French Toast:
1 (1.1 pound; 500 gram) loaf panettone bread, baking paper removed
6 large eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Zest of 1 medium orange
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium bananas, sliced
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Blueberry Compote:
1 pint blueberries (about 2 cups)
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pint strawberries (about 1 cup)

Compote:
Heat blueberries, strawberries, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until berries begin to burst, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in sugar. Simmer, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the French toast: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Trim the bottom crust of the panettone. Starting at the bottom end of the panettone, cut it crosswise into 6 (3/4-inch thick) round slices (reserve the top piece for toast!). Cut each slice into large cubes. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the cream, milk, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and whisk until well mixed. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Dip 8-10 cubes panettone into the custard, turning to allow all sides to absorb the custard. Grill the soaked panettone cubes until they are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, panettone cubes, and custard.

Transfer the French toast to skewers separating each cube with a slice of banana. Lightly dust with the powdered sugar. Serve immediately with blueberry compote on the side.

Tapenade Pinwheels

Tapenade Pinwheels
Makes 30
These tapenade pinwheels are light and fluffy; you won’t have to worry about your guests filling up on them before dinner. The puff pastry bakes up light and buttery, the tapenade filling creates the perfect contrast, both in color and in flavor. Keep them frozen until you’re ready to slice and bake them. Once well wrapped in plastic wrap, they can stay in the freezer for up to two months, but I don’t think they’ll last that long!

2 x sheets frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup tapenade
parmesan cheese

Roll the pastry into a rectangle. Smear over the tapenade, sprinkle the cheese over, roll lengthwise into a long snake. Wrap, and freeze until hard. Cut into thin slices, no more than 1/4-inch/1/2 centimeter thick. Lay on a baking sheet, giving room for them to expand. Bake at 400°F/200°C until puffed up and golden, 10 minutes.

Tapenade

Tapenade
Makes 1 jar
This salty, buttery, black olive spread is a staple in most Mediterranean pantries. Great in sandwiches, on slices of toasted baguettes with warm brie, or in puff pastry pinwheels. The uses are limitless! Make sure to use a good quality olive as this will be the predominant flavor. You can swap out other ingredients as you please but the recipe itself is very well balanced and yields a perfect tapenade in my mind.

1/2 pound good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
3 tablespoons capers, drained
8 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Combine the olives, capers, anchovies and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse 3 times. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and parsley and process until chunky.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.

White Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets

White Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets
Makes 12 tartlets or 24 mini tartlets
These are great little desserts for cocktail parties! The combination of flavors and textures is just divine. You can cut the phyllo sheets into squares as described below or you can use a biscuit cutter with a ruffled edge to give them a slightly more delicate look. The unfilled phyllo cups can be made 2 days ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. The white chocolate mousse can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Keep it refrigerated. The filled phyllo cups can be assembled up to 1 hour ahead. Cover and refrigerate them. You’re guests will love them and so will you!

8 (17 by 13-inch) frozen phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and finely chopped
1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella), optional
1 (3-ounce) bar bittersweet chocolate, grated, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface. Brush the phyllo with melted butter. Top with another phyllo sheet. Repeat with more butter and 2 more phyllo sheets. Cut the stacked phyllo sheets into 6 (5-inch) squares. Line each muffin cup with 1 stacked phyllo square, allowing the edges to ruffle and extend above the cup rims. Repeat with the remaining 4 phyllo sheets and melted butter. Bake until the phyllo cups are golden brown, about 9 minutes. Transfer the muffin pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, stir the white chocolate and 1/4 cup cream in a heavy small saucepan over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour into a large bowl and cool to barely lukewarm. Stir in the hazelnuts. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in another large bowl to medium-firm peaks. Fold the cream into the white chocolate mixture in 2 batches. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the chocolate hazelnut spread into each phyllo cup, if using. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the cooled phyllo cups, mounding slightly. Arrange the mousse-filled phyllo cups on plates. Sprinkle the bittersweet chocolate over the mousse, or garnish with edible flowers, and serve.

Salt-kissed White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

Salt-kissed White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake
Serves 10-12
The salt in the crust of the cake helps cut the sweetness and gives an extra depth of flavor. Don’t worry, you wont have a salty cake on your plate. The salt helps enhance the flavor of the berries and lemon in the cake. If you can’t find large grain salt you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon on flaked kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon of fine table salt with the same results. The first time I made this cake I over did it with the salt and the results were slightly odd. After a few tries I found the right amount. If the salt scares you, just leave it out. On the other hand if you’re up to experimenting in the kitchen, give it a try, you’ll love it!

Cake:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white chocolate chunks

Topping
3 tablespoons large grain raw sugar
1 teaspoon large grain salt
1 cup of raspberries

Preheat oven to 400F degrees, with racks in the middle. Grease and flour one 11-inch tart pan or pie plate.

Combine the flour, baking powder, white chocolate, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk, whisk in the melted butter, and the lemon zest. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Batter should still show some traces of flour mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, pushing out toward the edges. Now drop the berries across top, smushing them a bit between your fingers before letting them fall to the cake. In a small bowl combine large grain raw sugar and salt, stir to combine. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the top of the cake and berries.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cake is set (or a toothpick in the center comes out clean), and a touch golden on top.

Lemon Pasta

Lemon Pasta
Serves 4
This is such a great side dish and so simple to prepare! I love to throw together a batch of this pasta as a last minute side dish because it's so quick and I usually have everything I need in the refrigerator. Light and fresh tasting it goes with anything; pork, fish, roast beef, roast chicken, shell fish and anything else you might concoct.

Salt
1 pound spaghetti or pasta of your choice
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup (10 or 12 leaves) fresh basil, very thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop the spaghetti into the pot. Cook according to the directions on the packaging for al dente.

Heat a large deep skillet over low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

After the pasta has been cooking about 5 minutes, add lemon juice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and the cream to the garlic and oil in the skillet. Raise heat a bit to bring sauce to a bubble.

Drain pasta when it still has a good bite to it, al dente.

Add lemon zest and half of the cheese to the cream sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste. Add pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with sauce a minute or 2, allowing it time to soak up the sauce.

Top the plates of pasta or platter with remaining cheese, parsley and basil.

Vache Qui Rit Soup

Vache Qui Rit Soup
Serves 4
This soup is a real delight for both adults and children alike. It’s a snap to prepare, great for a quick week night meal. The melted cheese inside the soup gives it a smooth and velvety texture without the additions of butter of cream. This is a tried and true recipe that I turn to time and time again. More so this time of year when zucchini is fresh and in abundance. Feel free to choose different types of zucchini. The farmer’s markets are flooded with zucchini of all different sizes and colors which will add an interesting hue to your soup. I chose to garnish mine with some match stick fries that I simply made using my julienne peeler.

1 medium onion, diced
2 pounds zucchini, sliced
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to season
pinch cumin (optional)
Vache qui Rit cheese (6 to 8 triangles, or according to taste)

Slice the zucchini in to 1/4 inch slices.

Place the onion and zucchini in a medium sauce pan and pour the chicken stock over. (The stock will not cover the vegetables.) Season with salt and pepper, add the cumin, cover, and cook over medium-heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the cheese and purée using an immersion blender. Gently reheat to serve.

Garnish with some freshly chopped herbs or match stick fries.

Lemon Thyme Shortbread

Lemon Thyme Shortbread
Makes about 3 and half dozen cookies
These are the perfect little treat to accompany a cup of afternoon tea. The citrus flavor of the fresh thyme blends well with the lemon zest and fresh ginger slightly offsetting the sweetness in these cookies. I know it may seem odd to ad herbs into your cookies batter but I promise you’ll love and the little green flecks through out the cookies give them a slightly festive look. The logs of dough, if well wrapped, can be kept frozen for up o a month. Bake on log today and keep the other in the freezer for those last minute guests or a quick pick-me-up!

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 egg
2 tbsp lemon juice
milk, for brushing

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chopped thyme and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, zest and ginger until fluffy. Add in egg and lemon juice, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on slow add in the flour mixture and blend until dough comes together.

Divide dough in half and shape into logs. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or freeze).

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Unwrap dough and slice into thin wafers, no more than a 1/4 inch thick, and place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush cookies with milk and bake for 12-15 minutes, just until edges turn golden. Let cookies cool on backing sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Cookies can be stored in an air tight container for a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.