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.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcake

25 regular cupcakes / 350 degree F oven

7 ounces (200 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
3 sticks (343 grams) butter
2-1/4 cups (445 grams) sugar
8 eggs
1-1/4 cups (180 grams) flour
1/4 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder, unsweetened
1-1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and laying out cupcake cups. Using a pencil draw a line to segregate 4 cupcake cups for each flavor and write out the ingredients so you can identify the cupcakes after they are baked. See image above. I did the same with 6 mini cupcake papers so I could taste each combination without having 6 whole cupcakes.
2. Chop chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.
3. Add butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate melts and butter is combined.
4. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
5. Beat in an electric mixer for 3 minutes.
6. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 10 seconds between each
7. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into the mixture, return to the electric mixer, and mix until blended.
8. Separate into 6 separate, but equal batches. I eyeballed it and came pretty close. Mix truffle ingredients into each batch. I got four regular cupcakes and 1 mini per flavor.
9. Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: If the oven is not hot enough than these cupcakes may over-flow. One way to be safe is to either fill 2/3’s full or another trick I use is to preheat to 375, then drop the heat to 350 once I put the cupcakes in. I also rotate the pans after 15 minutes of baking. It is safe to gently move them at that point and I find the lower back of my oven to be a bit cooler.
Simple Chocolate Ganache

6 ounces (170 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Let cool until at spreading consistency.

Note: If the ganache gets too thick, like you forget it on the counter or in the fridge, soften over a pan of simmering water just enough to get it back to spreading consistency.

Ricotta Raspberry almond cupcake

18 cupcakes / 350 degree F oven

7 ounces almond paste (not marzipan) 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese 

1 stick butter, unsalted/room temp 

4 eggs, large/room temp 

2/3 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 cup raspberries

1. beat almond paste at low speed to loosen up, about 30 seconds 

2. gradually add sugar while beating at low speed 

3. continue to beat at low speed for 1 minute or so 

4. add the ricotta and beat to combine 

5. while beating at low speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time, waiting for the butter to incorporate until adding the next pat 

6. stop the mixer, scrape the bowl, beat at medium for about 2 minutes until fluffy 

7. crack eggs into a bowl and break up with a fork 

8. at low speed gradually add eggs about a tablespoon at a time, waiting for the eggs to incorporate until adding the next bit 

9. beat again at medium speed for about 2 minutes 

10. measure out flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and whisk to combine 

11. with a rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into the cake batter until combined 

12. fold in raspberries 

13. scoop batter into cupcake liners, fill about 1/2 inch from the top (3/4 full) 

14. bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean 

Citrus Meringue Frosting

1 cup egg whites (from approximately 7-8 eggs) 

1,5 cups sugar 

3 drops orange juice 

1 teaspoon orange zest, finely chopped

1. combine egg whites and sugar into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and set over a bain marie (water bath) 

2. whisk by hand for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved or preferably until the mixture reaches 110 degrees fahrenheit 

3. transfer bowl to electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 10 minutes 

4. add orange juice, zest, and a drop of red gel food coloring 

5. beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 2 to 5 minutes more 

Assembly 

1. heaping tablespoon of meringue on top of cupcake 

3. using your finger pull the meringue down to cover the top of the cupcake, the frosting is very sticky and you want it to basically attach itself to the cupcake liner 

4. using your finger poke the top of frosting to make a nice shape and some interesting peaks 

5. using a blow torch, brown the meringue.