Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast

Every Sunday I like to fix up something special for a morning brunch. Since my family doesn't have enough time on weekday mornings to make something extravagant (and, really, who does?), we save up all our cheesy, buttery, maple syrup drenched breakfast dishes for our lazy Sunday mornings.

Last night, I set out to make a baked French toast dish. Though French toast is a regular on our brunch menu, I'm usually too last minute to think far enough ahead to assemble the French toast dish the night before. It seems a bit silly to say, but baked French toast is something that has eluded me for years. By the time I realize I want to eat it, it's already Sunday morning. It's too late to make the baked French toast I've been craving.

This week I finally thought ahead. About time, self!

When looking for recipes online, I've noticed that so many recipes for Cinnamon Raisin French Toast require a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. I don't know about you, but this isn't something I normally keep in the house. When it's late Saturday night and I'm wondering what to make for Sunday brunch, the very last thing I want to do is head to the grocery store. So, in order to fix this little problem, I decided to come up with my own recipe to suit the ingredients I already had in my home. Chances are you'll already have these ingredients in your pantry too (and isn't that a wonderful, wonderful thing?).

After eating well over 1/4 of this dish on my own, I can assure you this Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast is the perfect brunch dish. This French toast dish does have to set in the refrigerator overnight, so you will have to think ahead. The time it spends in the refrigerator really melds together the flavors of the dish and brings out a fantastic custard-like texture.

Or, in other words, this is definitely worth the wait.

This Cinnamon Raisin Baked French toast is absolutely saturated with cinnamon and raisins—there is no skimping on flavor here. The French toast itself rests on a layer of butter and brown sugar. When it bakes up, the butter and sugar caramelize. This caramel sauce is then absorbed by the bread, giving an added (and delicious) dimension to the French toast. The raisins also absorb some of the liquid in the French toast, making them plump and bursting with raisin-y goodness. If I didn't know any better, I would imagine this was a decadent bread pudding. Now tell me, who wouldn't want to eat that for brunch?

Click to read more ...

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a Caramel Rum Raisin Sauce

This is my first year celebrating a Canadian Thanksgiving. At the beginning of October, the timing feels wrong, but the fall flavors feel right. Canadian Thanksgiving isn't a romantic idealism about Pilgrims and Indians breaking bread together for the first time. It's about celebrating the autumn harvest. But let's be real, no matter which country you are in, Thanksgiving is all about the food.
Today, I am thankful that this pumpkin bread pudding was not a complete disaster. My bread pudding finished cooking ten minutes before it should have, burning the top layer of bread. The first time I made the caramel, the sugar seized up about halfway through, turning it into a giant, impenetrable sugar cube of failure. I added more water to compensate which seemed wise at the time, but really just made the caramel much too runny. So, I dumped it down the drain, sat next to my charred bread pudding and sighed.
My thanksgiving party was in less than an hour and my dessert was in a sad state of affairs. But self pity wasn't going to feed anyone, so I set off to salvage what I could. I picked off the burnt layer of bread and made another batch of caramel. This time, everything came together just right. And just in time to grab it and run out the door.
At the end of the day, my drama over this bread pudding seems trivial. After an evening spent in good company, my stomach is full and my eyes are heavy. The outcome of one component of the meal was not going to make or break the evening. Thanksgiving is a time for togetherness, whether you are sharing the holiday with family you love or friends you have just met. Having moved to Montreal a month ago, being surrounded by a new family of friends is something I am truly thankful for.
And, just for the record, this bread pudding was an absolute hit. Every bite was cleanly eaten from the plates. The pudding itself is moist with a mild pumpkin flavor, but the caramel rum raisin sauce really sets this bread pudding apart. The caramel compliments the pumpkin in the bread pudding and the rum soaked raisins add just the right amount of alcoholic flair. This dessert is truly decadent. It serves well at dinner parties or Thanksgiving meals (yes, I am looking at you, fellow Americans).

Click to read more ...

Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

It was four years ago. It was a potluck picnic in a park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I spotted these cookies, these beautiful cookies, in a small, decorative tin on a table covered in layers upon layers of food. However, as far as I was concerned, the table might as well have been completely empty because I simply could not take my eyes off of these divine specimens. It was love at first sight. And then, shortly thereafter, love at first bite.
For four years, these cookies and I had an infrequent affair. On rare occasions, we would meet and I would devour this dear cookie whole, savoring each and every bite. Twice. Thrice. Once is never enough. Finally, after much exaltation, begging, and pleading (only once on hand and knee), this recipe was released unto me. And so, dear readers, I shall release it unto you, so you, too, can embark on the love affair of a lifetime.
This cookie has heft. It has volume. It demands your full, unwavering attention. This cookie is also sugar-free. There is not even a sugar substitute present. The sugar comes solely from the chocolate chips and raisins. 'What?' You may ask. 'A sugar-free cookie? You fell in love with a sugar-free cookie?' Yes, I did. And you will too. The sugar is not missed. You will not realize it is gone. In that fact is where the true beauty of this cookie lies. Your relationship with Mr. Sugar-free will always be much healthier (and tastier) than with any other second-rate cookie that catches your eye.

Click to read more ...