French Toast with Lemon Curd and Blueberries

Thom and I were in Portland, Oregon visiting our son Trevor and his wife Meg in December of 2021. They were expecting their first child in April.  Meg was on bed rest, so Thom and I flew up to spend Christmas and help out before the baby was born. Robbie was born in April on his due date, a sweet little boy. 

When we visit, we try to try a new restaurant in the area.  On this trip we ordered takeout for brunch from a downtown restaurant.  Meg and I ordered the French toast with lemon curd and blueberries, Thom had eggs benedict and Trevor ordered fried rice with a fried egg on top.  The food was excellent, but we were a little disappointed that the restaurant forgot the lemon curd and blueberries for our French toast.   We'll have to go again to get the French toast this time with lemon curd and blueberries.  

When I got home, I decided I needed to see if I could come up with my own version.  Lemons are in season and this year I got a few more lemons from my Meyer Lemon Tree.  I decided to make some lemon curd and give this recipe another try.  So, with any luck my version may be as good or better than the restaurants in Portland.   

Ingredients

1 loaf brioche bread cut into 12 slices
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Fresh Whipped Cream or Lemon Curd whipped cream*
Lemon curd*  
fresh blueberries, frozen will work as well

Directions

Whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a large casserole dish or another dish that you can use to easily dip the brioche slices. 
Grease a large griddle with the butter. Heat it on high heat and then turn it down to medium-low.
Dip the brioche slices in the egg mixture, coating both sides. When dipping, allow the bread to sit for 30 seconds per side so it can soak up more of the batter. 
Place the bread slices on the griddle and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Arrange slices on individual plates, drizzle lemon curd over French toast slices and sprinkle with blueberries.  Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or lemon curd whipped cream. 
 * Lemon curd can be purchased.  It is very easy to make. See my Lemon Curd post for the recipe.

Lemon Curd Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup lemon curd
 
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Whip heavy cream until stiff, add sugar and vanilla extract, fold in lemon curd.

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

1 Stick butter melted (1/2 cup)
12 slices Texas toast or left over bread cut into pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans - optional
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Melt butter and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts. Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla together. Layer bottom of pan with half of the bread pieces sprinkle with half of brown sugar mixture.  Layer the second half of bread. Pour egg mixture over the bread slices making sure all the bread is covered evenly.  Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture on top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from fridge and cover with a new piece of foil. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.  The French toast should be brown and set.  

 
Serve warm with powdered sugar or maple syrup if desired.  

Focaccia Bread

My grandson Sam made me some Focaccia bread for Mother's Day 2020 during the Pandemic.   Even though we could not get together to celebrate Mother's Day as usual I was not forgotten. Jennifer, my daughter, drove the kids to say hi and deliver freshly made focaccia decorated as a spring garden.  It was delicious and very much appreciated.  Sam is super thoughtful and I love him dearly!  I posted a picture below.  

Ingredients

2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

2 teaspoons salt

4 cups flour

4 Tablespoons olive oil

Toppings:

Olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, olives, sundried tomato, caramelized onion.  Toppings can be as few as just rosemary or any number of the toppings mentioned.

In a large bowl combine water, sugar and yeast.   Let the mixture set until bubbly.  Mix in salt and flour with spatula.   The dough will be very sticky.  Drizzle the top of the dough with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Cover with damp cloth and let rise until double approximately 2 hours, or place the dough in the fridge for an overnight rise (10-12 hours).  

After the dough has risen for 2 hours, line a 9 x 12 baking dish with parchment paper and pour the dough into the pan.  Add a little olive oil to your hands and carefully stretch the dough into the shape of the pan.   Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and proof for 30 minutes. For the overnight proof, shape the dough in pan as above and let the dough rise for 2-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Using oily fingers press into the dough making dimples over the top.  Drizzle with olive oil and toppings of choice, Sprinkle with sea salt.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Remove the focaccia from the dish and let rest for 10 minutes on cooling rack before cutting.

Enjoy!

Lemon Cringle Cookies

Lemon cookies with a crackled, crispy exterior and a soft, tender interior

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon cornstarch *
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
1 cup sugar + 2 Tablespoons
1 large egg
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Roll the cookie dough in:
 
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar and 1 cup powder sugar

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Mixture will appear curdled and that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Dough is thick, creamy, and sticky.

Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll in sugar: Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into silicone baking mats, set aside.  Roll the balls in the granulated sugar first. Then roll each ball very generously in the confectioners' sugar. If you want lots of confectioners’ sugar to show on the baked cookies, roll 2 or 3 times. Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2–3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.

Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.