25 | 52 Oven French Toast

I  l o v e  French Toast.

But I haven't really made it much because - frankly - I've always been too lazy.

Plus - making only one or two at a time, the first ones getting cold until the last ones are done... 

Not ideal, imho.

But with the version from the oven you can make as many as you want at the same time, all being done at the same time! Yay!

Perfect for feeding a breakfast or brunch crowd.

From now on, there will be a lot more French Toast at my house :)

Oven French Toast

From Rachael Ray

Serves 4 (or 2 with a bigger appetite):

2 eggs

120 ml (1/2 cup) half-and-half (or 60ml (1/4 cup) each of milk and heavy cream)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

pinch of salt

2-4 thick slices of toast/bread, in 2,5 cm / 1 in cubes

2 teaspoons melted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

fresh berries

• Whisk together eggs, half-and-half (or milk and cream), syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.  
• Toss bread with melted butter and divide among 4 muffin cups or small ramequins.  
• Pour egg mixture over bread and let sit while oven preheats to 175ºC (350ºF).  
• Sprinkle bread mixture with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes.  
• Serve immediately with more maple syrup and fresh berries.

My modifications:

None. I just reduced the recipe from 12 servings to 4.

The taste:

The top is a bit on the dry side because the egg mixture doesn't cover it but that's totally fine. Just drown it in maple syrup ;) Otherwise: lovely, sweet, eggy, and perfect with those blueberries!

What is your favorite breakfast recipe?

 

 

24 | 52 Blueberry Brownies

Have you had enough of blueberries yet?

Oh wait - is that even possible?

Not for me. I could honestly eat them every day. Several times a day, actually.

I don't think I've ever made anything with blueberries and chocolate though.

Very strange. Because I could eat chocolate... - let's not talk about that.

So let's see what this blueberry chocolate concoction is all about...

Blueberry Brownies

From Hummingbird High

140 g (5 oz) dark chocolate

85 g (6 tablespoons) butter

2 eggs

200 g (1 cup) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

100 g (3/4 cup) flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

140 g (1 cup) blueberries

2 tablespoon flour

70 g (1/2 cup) blueberries

• Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
• Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie.
• Combine the 140 g / 1 cup blueberries with the 2 tablespoons flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the brownie.
• In a bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.
• Add vanilla. Then add melted chocolate-butter mix.
• Fold in flour and salt (do not overmix). Carefully fold in floured blueberries.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes.
• Carefully press 70 g / 1/2 cup of blueberries into the brownie while still warm.
• Let cool and enjoy.

My modifications:

I reduced the sugar to 170 g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon).

The taste:

I wasn't 100% convinced when I took the first bite. But from the second bite onwards - berrylicious chocoliciousness. Definitely a fruit chocolate combo to keep and repeat. Often.

What's your favorite fruit chocolate combo?

23 | 52 Banana Nut Bread

Every couple of months, the same thing happens in my kitchen.

And I'm almost sure that it happens in yours, too.

Let's call it the #brownüberripebananaproblem.

I think you know what I'm talking about...

And the general solution to this problem is: Banana Nut Bread.

Or other banana breads or cakes. Or smoothies. Or freezing banana slices for future projects. Or whatever.

So this is my latest try at finding the perfect Banana Nut Bread recipe.

While I've tried a lot of them, I haven't found the perfect one just yet.

So that #brownüberripebananaproblem is actually an opportunity.

For finding the perfect BNB recipe.

Banana Nut Bread

From Cincy Shopper

255 g (2 cups) flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 (1 1/2 cup) ripe bananas, mashed

100 g (1 cup) sugar

120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons milk

1 egg

60 g (1/2 cup) walnuts, chopped

40 g (1/3 cup) pecans, chopped

• Preheat oven to 160ºC (325ºF).
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a second bowl, mix egg, sugar, and vegetable oil until combined.
• Add dry mix to the egg mix and stir until blended.
• Add milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas and mix well.
• Fold in chopped walnuts and pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Sprinkle pecans on top.
• Bake for 60-80 minutes.

My modifications:

None. You don't mess with copycat recipes. At least not if you really want to compare the degree of copycatness...

The taste:

Well, well.

I cannot say anything about the taste in comparison to your favorite coffee place. Because I've never had it there.

In comparison to all the other BNBs I've teasted so far, this definitely belongs to the upper half of the ranking. But that's mainly due to the pecan pieces that are sprinkled on top and really make it different to your plain ole BNB.

Other than that, it's a good, solid BNB and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
It's just not new or exciting or special (except for those pecans).
And I guess I hoped for more. Being that copycat recipe and all.

What's your favorite baked good that you would like to copycat?

22 | 52 Rhubarb Pie

'Tis the season.

No, not Christmas yet.

But the season of rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus. 

I just can't get enough of all of them!

So, another rhubarb baking recipe this week.

For something typically Swiss: a 'Waehe' (pronounce: 'vaye').

A Waehe is like a quiche or a pie, and the most typical ones are savory with vegetables or cheese, or sweet with fruit. And they're all absolutely yummy.

Rhubarb Pie

Recipe by Andreas Studer for Coopzeitung 28/2011

Crust
200 g (1 1/2 cups) flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

100 g (1 stick minus 1 tablespoon) butter

4 tablespoons milk

Filling
4 rhubarb stalks

200 ml (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) heavy cream

2 eggs

1 tablespoon corn flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons sugar

powdered sugar for dusting

• Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF).
• Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add cold butter in pieces and knead with your hands. Add milk and combine to make a dough. Distribute evenly in your quiche/pie dish. Put some holes into the bottom with a fork.
• Peel rhubarb and cut into small pieces. Scatter over the crust. Beat together cream, eggs, corn flour, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over rhubarb pieces. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Good but not my favorite Waehe recipe. A bit too tart for my taste (which depends on your rhubarb, of course) so next time I would probably add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar.

What's your favorite regional baking recipe?