Decadent French Toast

It's Saturday; two days after Christmas and there is an entire loaf of homemade bread left over from the gourmet dinner prepared by my sister. I freely admit the bread was my only contribution. There is an extra loaf because my thoughts wandered while I was measuring flour and I ended up making two loaves in case the first was an epic fail.

It's time for breakfast and there is no milk in my refrigerator. But I have a quart of whipping cream. My decadent self is thinking of French Toast made with whipping cream! My empirical self is thinking how many ways this can go wrong. My foodie self is going for it! The French Toast is wonderful; reminiscent of creme brûlée, the perfect Saturday brunch with a Mimosa, and worth every single calorie! There is one caveat. Use dense, homemade bread, or a good, heavy bakery bread. Don't even think of using a wimpy bread purchased in a plastic bag! And if you do--please don't tell me...

INGREDIENTS:
1 to 1-1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
6 slices (approximately) homemade bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Add all ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Whisk until blended. The mixture will be thick.
Place the sliced bread in 13 x 9 inch baking dish (as close together as possible). Pour the cream mixture over the bread and press down lightly with a spatula to help the bread absorb the mixture. Flip the bread with the spatula to allow both sides to absorb the cream mixture. At this stage you can cover the baking dish and refrigerate overnight, or you can cook it immediately.

I recommend frying in a large skillet. This recipe is pure calorie overload, so why not fry it up in unsalted butter? Serve with fresh berries, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and maybe a bit of maple syrup. Then again, you can always add a big dollop of whipped cream! It's the holidays, calories don't count.

Fried Cornmeal Mush

   Our family grew up in Ohio and one of our greatest pleasures was eating Grandma Fletcher's fried cornmeal mush with butter and maple syrup. Cornmeal mush is not to be confused with southern style grits, but rather compared to Italian polenta. A simple explanation is--cornmeal grits are coarsely ground, polenta is a finer grind and mush is made with an even finer ground cornmeal.
   One rule of thumb; don't buy cheap ground cornmeal in a round cardboard container on the grocery store shelf unless you like bland mush with no flavor. If possible, buy from an Amish store. If you must buy from the grocery I would recommend Anson Mills fine ground cornmeal and store in a plastic bag in your freezer.
   The recipe is simple because there are three ingredients: Cornmeal, salt and water.  My grandma used to shred leftover ham and blend it with the mush while cooking. I'm a purist, and prefer mine fried in Crisco in a large skillet, turning once when the edges start to get golden and crispy. My family prefers our fried mush buttered and covered in maple syrup; just like a stack of pancakes. If you prefer not to do it yourself, there is always Bob Evans--but it isn't the same as homemade.

Fried Cornmeal Mush

Ingredients:

1- cup fine ground cornmeal
3- cups cold water
1- teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.  Mix cornmeal in one cup of cold water and set aside.

2.  Boil two cups of cold water in a medium-size, heavy gauge pan over high heat and add salt when water is boiling briskly.

3.  Remove pan from heat (because it is going to bubble up) and slowly whisk the cornmeal/water mixture into the boiling water until smooth.  

4.  Reduce heat to medium and cover. The mixture will continue to bubble. I recommend wearing long sleeves and using a long handled wooden spoon when stirring to avoid getting burned (speaking from years of experience). Continue cooking and stirring frequently for an additional 10-12 minutes until the mixture is thick.  

5.  Pour into a loaf pan rinsed in cold water, or two clean soup cans rinsed in cold water for round loaves. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.

6.  When ready to cook, remove from loaf pan or soup can and slice thinly. Heat Crisco or oil over medium high heat and add slices of mush to hot oil with a pancake rather than your fingers to avoid getting burned with hot oil. Don't crowd the slices because the edges will stick together and become difficult to flip. I recommend covering with a splatter guard while the mush is frying because it is like frying bacon! When mush is golden around the edges, flip with pancake turner and continue frying until crispy. 

7. Transfer to serving plate and serve with your choice of toppings. (I usually drain on paper towels to removed excess oil before transferring to a serving plate-just like cooking bacon). By the way, fried mush is excellent with bacon...

Pumpkin Muffins

     Unless you have been living under a rock, you've noticed pumpkin-related dishes and beverages are the latest food trend. Yes, pumpkin...a super food packed with 280% of our daily Vitamin A requirement. Who knew? What a wonderful stroke of luck for Libby's! Pumpkin...it's not just for Thanksgiving pie. In fact, Felix Salmon, a leading financial journalist writing in New York magazine says "pumpkin is the new bacon." So what's next--a massive pumpkin shortage? Note to self...begin hoarding cans of pumpkin...
      My quest this month is achieving delicious pumpkin flavor paired with a balanced ratio of fall spices. Last week it was doughnuts. Healthy, but not enough spice to balance the pumpkin. This week my quest was the ubiquitous muffin. While mixing a fresh batch of pumpkin pie spice mix this morning, I realized what was missing from the pumpkin doughnut recipe--cloves! Mortar and pestle to the rescue. Nothing says 'aroma' quite like the smell of freshly ground cloves. Viola! Spice balance achieved!
      If you enjoy soft, moist muffins redolent with the fragrance of fall spices, this is the recipe you've been waiting for. Pure pumpkin comfort food with 10 minutes of preparation time. Parting thought: Never underestimate the value of freshly ground spices. I promise, your taste buds will thank you!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice 
(yield approximately one heaping tablespoon)

Pumpkin Muffins

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.  Paper-line or spray 12 muffin cups

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
COMBINE Sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in a mixer bowl and beat with wire whisk until blended.
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir with wooden spoon until moist--be gentle, don't over-mix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

BAKE 25-30 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire rack about 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool completely--if you can wait that long. Frost with cream cheese icing if desired. Store in covered container.