Melt-in-your-mouth light strawberry muffins

Ingredients :

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup fat free yogurt

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped strawberries fresh or frozen

Direction :

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and baking soda. In another bowl mix eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Toss strawberries into the flour mixture. Then pour yogurt mixture into flour and stir. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Yields 12 muffins.

Calories : 150 from fat : 45.

French toaster

6 to 8 slices bread, somewhat stale
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cream, heavy, whipping, or light or whole milk
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) rum
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or not), and set aside. Place 1 tablespoon each butter and vegetable oil in a heavy skillet, and set it to heat over medium heat. Alternately, heat an electric griddle to 300°F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, sugar, rum, and vanilla. Stir till smooth but not foamy. Pour the batter into a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold two pieces of bread snugly.

Place two pieces of bread in the pan; let them soak for about 30 seconds, then turn them over, and let soak for about 30 seconds on the other side. You want the bread to absorb some of the liquid, but not to become soggy.

Place the bread in the skillet or on the griddle (which you've greased with a mixture of butter or vegetable oil, or simply with non-stick vegetable oil spray), and fry till the underside is golden brown; this should take about 2 minutes. Turn the bread, and fry on the second side for about 2 minutes. Again, it should be golden brown. Transfer the French toast to the baking sheet, and place it in the preheated oven. Allow it to remain in the oven while you cook the remaining pieces.

When all the pieces are cooked, serve the French toast with soft butter and maple syrup. Or dust it with confectioners' sugar or cinnamon-sugar. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: ordinarily you'd consider 2 to 3 pieces of French toast a single serving, but this particular recipe is so rich, and each slice of bread is big and thick enough, that we consider one piece a serving, particularly if you add fresh fruit and/or some breakfast ham, bacon or sausage.

Chocolate bread pudding cupcake

Toffee

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup sugar

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring everything to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. The mixture will start to boil with vigor. Do not stir. Let the mixture boil over medium-low heat until the mixture turns a deep nutty brown, about 20 minutes
3. Pour on to a prepared baking sheet (either covered in a silpat or oiled parchment paper) and leave it to cool.
4. After the toffee has cooled, break it into small chunks.

Note: I like my toffee very dark - almost burnt. Getting the toffee just right for your taste can be a challenge. I think a nutty brown is a good place to start. One additional warning, if you cook it very long you could nearly ruin your pan or at a minimum create bunch of cleanup work for yourself. Don’t use your favorite pot or pan!

Chocolate Bread Pudding Cupcakes

27 regular cupcakes / 350 degree F oven

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1-pound loaf dense white bread, 1 or 2 days old (I used Acme Pan de Mie, but you could use challah or brioche)
10 ounces Valrhona or any bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts, chopped
toffee from recipe above, chopped

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the cream, milk, vanilla, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Chop bread into 1/2″ cubes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Bring mixture back to boil and stir in chopped chocolate. Take off the heat and continue to stir until chocolate is melted.
4. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture, whisking constantly until combined.
5. Pour the mixture carefully over the bread cubes. Stir until all cubes are covered. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
6. Set aside about 1/4 cup each of the walnuts and toffee. Sprinkle the remaining into the bread cubes. Stir to combine.
7. Scoop soaked bread cubes into cupcake papers until bread cubes are level with the top of the rim.
8. Carefully pour the remaining liquid into each cupcake filling until nearly full.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for ~22-25 minutes until set.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and whisk until combined.

Assemble
1. Top cooled cupcakes with some cream
2. Topped with crushed toffee and chopped walnuts.