Panettone Bread Pudding

A few weeks ago, I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa where Ina made a bread pudding using Italian Panettone. Panettone is an Italian sweet bread that is typically enjoyed during the Christmas season. The bread is similar to sourdough and contains candied orange, citron and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which give it a very unique flavor.


A loaf of panettone found its way to my mom's house on Christmas, so I thought I'd give Ina's bread pudding recipe a shot. The bread pudding had mixed reviews, not because of any problem with the recipe, but because the flavor of the panettone is very distinct. Those who liked panettone loved the bread pudding...and I'm one of them!


Ingredients
1 loaf Italian panettone
3 eggs
8 egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim the dark outer crust from the panettone. Cut the rest of the loaf into 1-inch cubes.
3. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

4. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish and place the panettone cubes in the dish.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, extracts and sugar.

6. Pour the mixture over the panettone. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the liquid.

7. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the pudding.
8. Place the baking dish into a larger pan. Add very hot water to the larger pan until it is halfway up the side of the baking dish.

9. Cover with aluminum foil and cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape during baking.

10. Bake for 45 minutes.
11. Remove the foil and bake for another 45 minutes until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and allow the pudding to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Ratatouille

Since my mom was busy preparing food all last week to feed our family on Christmas Eve/Day, I offered to make something on Thursday night so she did not also have to feed us every meal throughout the week. I chose Ratatouille because it's delicious but also relatively healthy and could satisfy the vegetarians in the house. The general consensus was that it tastes like a crustless pizza. Yum!


Ingredients
1 head garlic
2 tbsp. each fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley
1 yellow onion
1 baby eggplant
2 zucchini
2 bell peppers
1 quart baby Portobella mushrooms
3 Roma tomatoes
Shredded cheese (for efficiency's sake,  I used Sargento's 6-Cheese Blend)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the fresh herbs and combine in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Mince the garlic and place in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Dice the onion into large strips and spread across the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

5. Skin the eggplant using a vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise and dice into half-moons. Arrange the eggplant over the onion layer in the casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

6. Skin the zucchini with a vegetable peeler and dice. Arrange the zucchini over the eggplant layer in the casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

7. Seed the bell peppers and cut into strips. Arrange the bell peppers over the zucchini layer in the casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

8. Wash the mushrooms with a damp paper towel (do not soak in water or the mushrooms will retain a lot of that water and become mushy during baking). Remove the stems and discard. Slice the mushroom caps into small slices. Arrange the mushrooms over the bell pepper layer in the casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

9. Slice the tomatoes, discarding the ends. Arrange the tomatoes over the mushroom layer in the casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese.

10. Bake the ratatouille for one hour or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is cooked through.  

Double-Chocolate Layer Cake

I love coffee, and I love chocolate. So this recipe for a chocolate-coffee cake by the Barefoot Contessa (...love her too!) sounded right up my alley. The coffee you put in the cake really just enhances the flavor of the chocolate, so you're only picking up the coffee flavor in the frosting. It's pretty strong when the frosting is at room temperature, but when the frosting is cold, it's much more subtle.

Ingredients
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee


Frosting:
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. instant coffee granules


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans (I like to use Pam baking spray). Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a medium bowl (I used a Pyrex measuring cup to make pouring easier), whisk the buttermilk with the vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.

4. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

5. Slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully combined. The batter will appear very "liquidy," but that is what it is supposed to do!

6. Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Let cool for 30 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

8. While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
9. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter until pale and fluffy.
10. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and mix for one minute.
11. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until combined.
12. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in 2 tsp. of piping hot water.
13. Once dissolved, beat the coffee and the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.


14. Place one cake layer on the serving or storage dish you will be using. Spread one-third of the frosting evenly over the top of the cake all the way to the edge. It is okay if some spills down the cake, as you will smooth it out when you are done frosting the entire thing.

15. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread the remaining two-thirds of frosting on the top and sides of the cake.

16. Refrigerate for at least one hour before slicing.

Mom's Asparagus

This recipe is one of my favorite vegetable recipes. It's simple and so easy. I've made it many times, and people who say they do not like asparagus end up saying that they do if it's prepared like this! Credit to my mom who taught me how to make it.


Ingredients
1 bundle asparagus (the thicker the stalk, the better)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Lawry's seasoning salt
Black pepper


Directions
1. Break off the ends of the asparagus and discard.
2. Shave the asparagus stalks with a vegetable peeler. This ensures that the asparagus is very tender by removing the tough outer layer.
3. Place in a small baking dish.

4. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with Lawry's and pepper to desired amount.
5. Sprinkle minced garlic over top.

6. Place under your oven's broiler and broil until the asparagus is tender, flipping the stalks once to ensure that they heat evenly.

Grandma Otte's Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Otte's house was wonderful. My grandma made a big Thanksgiving meal for us that was delicious - including this recipe for mashed potatoes that you can make ahead-of-time and freeze for up to two weeks!


Ingredients
5 lbs. potatoes, peeled (approximately 9 large potatoes)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. butter


Directions
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water. Drain and place into large mixing bowl.
2. Mash potatoes until smooth.
3. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, onion salt, salt and pepper. Beat in stand- or hand-mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Place in a greased casserole dish and serve.


5. If you make the potatoes ahead-of-time and freeze, simply dot the mashed potatoes with butter and reheat in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until heated through.

Garlic-Herb Cornish Hens

I had been wanting to prepare Cornish Hens for quite some time. It seemed like a baby-step toward preparing a whole chicken or turkey (which totally intimidates me). And after searching for what sounded like a good recipe, I found one on Martha Stewart's website. I love garlic, so when I saw that her recipe called for 40 cloves, I was excited!


The next step after finding a good recipe was to find a good occasion for which to make these little hens. Even though they're small, they still provide a pretty hearty meal, so I couldn't make them just for myself. Katie and her boyfriend, Erik, were coming over for dinner a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be the perfect occasion to give the Cornish Hen recipe a shot. Success!


Ingredients
40 cloves of garlic (approximately 3 heads of garlic)
13 sprigs fresh oregano
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 rib celery, thickly diced
2 bay leaves
3 Cornish hens
3 lemons, cut into quarters
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. butter, melted


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel 40 cloves of garlic.
3. Take six cloves of garlic and cut crosswise into very thin slices. Set aside in a small bowl.
4. Take another 12 cloves and set aside in a second small bowl.
5. Pick the leaves from 4 sprigs of oregano and set aside in a third small bowl.
6. Place the onion, celery and bay leaves, along with remaining garlic cloves and sprigs of oregano, in the bottom of a medium roasting pan (or large casserole dish).

7. Remove the Cornish hens from their packaging. If you buy them pre-packaged at the store, the innards should already be removed and packaged in a separate plastic bag stuck inside the hen. Simply pull out that bag and discard along with the packaging.
8. Wash the hens inside and out in cold water. Pat dry.

9. Place hens on a cutting board. Gently loosen the skin on the breast of the hen by sticking your finger between the skin and the meat.
10. Gently slide a few of the thin garlic slices and a few oregano leaves under the skin in a single layer.
11. Place four garlic cloves, one sprig of oregano and two lemon wedges in the cavity of each hen.
12. Place the remaining lemon wedges in the roasting pan.
13. Tie each hen's legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under to ensure that they do not burn while roasting.
14. Nestle the hens side by side in the roasting dish on top of the garlic mixture.
15. Add the wine and chicken broth to the roasting pan.

16. Brush the skin with melted butter so the hens turn golden brown in the oven.
17. Cook the hens, basting occasionally, until golden brown (approximately one hour).
18. Remove the hens from the pan, and let rest for five minutes before serving.
19. Serve with the lemon wedges that you placed in the roasting dish; squeeze lemon juice on top of hen.


I served the Cornish hens with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Erik even gave me a shout-out on Facebook for this meal :)

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
5. Gradually mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
6. Roll dough into small balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These cookies expand quite a bit while baking, so make sure you leave plenty of room between the dough balls on the baking sheet.
7. *Optional: roll in colored sugar prior to baking. I used red and green sugar crystals to make these cookies festive for the holidays.
8. Bake for 10 minutes.
9. Let stand for two minutes before removing cookies to wire rack to cool.

Spritz Cookies

You know how you can be going about your day and all of a sudden see, smell, hear or taste something that brings you back to your childhood? Something you had completely forgotten about until that moment? Well, that's what Spritz cookies did to me. How I forgot about them, I have no idea, because my mom made them every single year at Christmas...and they were my absolute favorite. But I think it has been a few years since she made them, and I came across her cookie press last year. I jumped for joy when she said I could take it (a perk of having a mother who used to cater...she has all the equipment and lets me use it!). And this year, I attempted my first Spritz cookies. Dipped in coffee, they're delicious!

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
*You also need a cookie press for this recipe. It comes with a multitude of shapes, so you can use it throughout the year and not just at Christmastime.


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a stand- or hand-mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Use dough immediately; do not chill or it will be difficult to use in the cookie press.
6. Fill the cookie press with dough and insert desired cookie disk (I like the tree for Christmas).
7. Press the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It took me quite a few tries to get the hang of using the cookie press, but once I did, pressing the cookies went very quickly.
8. You can decorate the cookies however you wish; I sprinkled green sugar crystals over the cookies prior to baking them to give them a festive look.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are just golden.
10. Let cookies rest for two minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.