All Is Not Lost

“Don’t toss that baguette! I’ll take it.” That’s what I said to the cafe around the corner from me. “Tomorrow you’ll see why.”

Guess it’s my roots and culinary training, but I find it next to impossible – almost sacrilegious – to not use every last inch of a loaf of bread. Day-old bread is the best choice for tasty bits like french toast and bread pudding. This lovely albeit senior baguette from Balthazar was a natural for my pantry challenge. I pulled eggs and milk from the fridge and vanilla extract and cinnamon from the cupboard.

The next morning I returned with this delicious and hearty french toast for the barristas. When the weather cools and the tomatoes are harvested I’ll be bugging them again to make some bread soup. Better go kiss up to the cheese monger for those Parmesan rinds now…

Beautiful Baguette French Toast

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
1 baguette sliced 1-inch thick on the bias
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Place egg mixture and sliced baguette into a large self-sealing plastic baggie, press out extra air and refrigerate overnight. You’ll probably need two 1-gallon baggies for this one. I like baggies for this instead of a baking dish because none of the bread is exposed to the air while soaking and, for a space-challenged gal like me, takes up much less room in the fridge. If you want to soak the bread in a baking dish covered with plastic wrap, go right ahead. I won’t judge. And my grandmother would probably prefer it. Mom? She sees the advantages in both.

Remove bread from fridge and heat a large skillet or griddle to medium-high. Melt butter in skillet and add soaked bread to skillet without over-crowding. Turning once, cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove french toast to warmed serving platter or keep warm in oven while cooking remaining french toast.

Eat immediately with your favorite syrup, jam, preserves, compote or fresh fruit. Freeze extra or leftovers (if there are any). It reheats surprisingly well in the microwave when you’re on the go.

Go Figure

Fig trees just starting to bear fruit on 13th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY.

WHATCHOO LOOKIN’ AT? Today it was figs. Brooklyn is studded with gems. These fig trees (private property so forget about it) on 13th Street never disappoint. Didn’t expect to see fruit yet. Nice surprise.

My favorite way to eat small, ripe black figs? Roasted.

Decadent Roasted Stuffed Fig Appetizers

1. Toss with olive oil, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. Cut a small cross into the tops and stuff each with a mixture of mascarpone and soft goat cheese.
3. Roast on oiled baking sheet in upper third of 400ºF oven for 15-20 minutes. Figs will be very tender.
4. Remove to cooling rack. Garnish each fig with a shaving of prosciutto or Serrano and pop into all available mouths while still slightly warm. Yum.

xojo

Pantry Challenge, 2010

I’ve decided to use up as many items as possible in my pantry and freezer. This saves money and occupies my time. Stay tuned – the combination’s will get stranger and more creative as I take this to its curious conclusion..
~ xojo

Pantry Challenge, 2010: What’s Up, Chuck?

It’s not everyone who has an upstairs neighbor with a frozen block of grass-fed chuck roast, but I am. In this pantry challenge I’m drawing from my neighbor’s freezer as well. It was still chilly out and not quite spring, so a braise was in order. Tomato paste, diced tomatoes, beef broth and stone ground polenta (also from the freezer) fell to the wayside; as did celery, carrots, potatoes, parsley, kale, garlic and onions.

Once the chuck was nicely browned, aromatic vegetables were added to the pan and sautéed. The pan was deglazed with a bit of broth and added to the other ingredients in the crock pot.

Here’s a tip: defrost your frozen meats faster by placing them on a ridged cast iron or aluminum griddle. They will defrost faster. It’s convection at work. Better living through science, folks.

Good times.

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Pantry Challenge 2010: The Egg Salad Caper

Tonight, eggs, 1/4 jar of capers and tiny bit of canola mayo got checked off the list. Added hot sauce, black pepper and kosher salt. Simple but yummy.
How to make perfectly hard-boiled eggs is nothing new.
Here’s the technique I swear by:

1. Put large eggs in one layer (no over-crowding) in a pot.
2. Fill pot with enough cold water to just cover eggs.
3. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Remove from heat, cover pot and let sit for 12 minutes.
4. Move eggs to bowl of cold water to cool. Keep covered in cold water (peeled or in the shell) until ready to use.
5. To peel, roll egg gently on flat surface to crack the shell all over.
6. Peel under running water starting from the broader end and working your way to the pointier end.