Post 1/13 – Panettone French Toast
January 6th has different meanings for different folks. For some, it signifies the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and is a holy Christian festival. For others, it means it is time to take down the tree and burn the Christmas greens. Some take a humorous view of Epiphany and use it as a time for the Great Fruitcake Toss. A cheeky way to close out the holidays by lobbing fruitcakes at people dressed like kings for a food bank fundraiser in Manitou Springs, CO. In many countries, it is a chance for children to get gifts in their socks or shoes. In parts of the Southern United States, Epiphany is the start of Carnival season. Love the internet!
For me personally, epiphany is about revelations. Specifically, revelations about this blog…I am a bad blogger. I’ve hinted at it before, but it is true. I sometimes get intimidated by a blank page, especially a blank computer screen, and I almost always dislike rejection. Ok, I always dislike rejection. I submitted a blog post to two professional sites and they were rejected. The reason: because the photography was not up to their standard, the composition was “too tight.” It seems their standards are very subjective. I could’ve submitted them again, but I just let it go, and haven’t put myself out there. Then, I realized that this blog is not a means for me to be published, it is a way to share recipes and little stories with friends and family. These stories and recipes might one day become a self-published cookbook, but that’s not even the real goal. Connecting and sharing my love of cooking is the goal.
I am testing new recipes and working on my photography. I used an Amazon birthday gift certificate to buy a food photography book and a recipe-writing book. Yes, there are books about these specific topics, actually lots of books. I narrowed it down to these two titles: Food Photography – From Snapshots to Great Shots and The Recipe Writer’s Handbook. Both are good books. Also, I bought a new tripod for only $6 at our church’s recent fundraising auction! That has helped tremendously with my photos, still need to work on composition and styling, but at least they aren’t quite as blurry.
I don’t really make New Year’s resolution, but I do have goals. This year, one of my goals is to write 50 blog entries. I will kick-start my goal with a Baker’s Dozen Blitz of Blog posts! Yep, 13 posts in 13 days, starting today.
Speaking about resolutions…I know most folks make resolutions to eat healthier, lose weight, etc. in the New Year. Sorry, but many of these first recipes are not very healthy. Several are dishes I cooked over the holidays and used them to practice my food photography. More healthy recipes will be coming soon.
Post 1/13 – Panettone French Toast
This is a perfect recipe for using leftover Panettone and Eggnog. We had both ingredients available after our holiday festivities. Thought it might be a good idea to combine the two. Luckily, it worked.
1 lb. loaf panettone bread, parchment paper removed
6 large eggs
1½ cups eggnog (or milk, cream, half & half – any combination)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 teaspoon of vanilla (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Trim the bottom crust from the panettone. Use a serrated knife to cut the loaf into ¾ inch thick slices. If you slice it crosswise, you get nice rounds that can be cut into two. Thought of this too late and sliced it like a regular loaf of bread. The slices weren’t as pretty but they tasted fine!
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the eggnog (or milk, cream, ½ & ½) and beat until frothy. If you want, whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Butter a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Dip slices of panettone into the egg mixture, turning to allow both sides to absorb the custard. Grill the soaked panettone slices until they are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. You can keep the French toast warm, in a low, preheated oven, while you grill the rest of the panettone.
Serve with a little extra butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar, if you want. Otherwise, they are delicious plain.
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The Flaming Pot Holder 
Brilliant idea to use eggnog with the pannetone! I never would have thought of that. Yours looks so much better than mine. How do you get such even browning? I don’t have a grill per se, but use a flat (no sides) iron skillet that was my grandmother’s.
The eggnog worked well. We had extra that I’d bought for my brother, so I thought why not use it. Truly using leftover holiday ingredients in this dish! This was made using an electric flat griddle, with plenty of butter. I think the sugar in the eggnog probably also helped with the browning. Maybe the flat iron skillet needs to be hotter or you need more butter?!? It’s such a fine line between browning and burning.
Katie, it sounds great but I’m not familiar with “panettone” bread. Is it a regional bread? Or perhaps seasonal, in which case I’m just not looking for it at the right time? What shape is the loaf?
We bought the panettone from Costco and it was imported from Italy. You can sometimes find it in the groery store. It is a cylinder-shaped sweet bread typically served during the holidays. The ones I’ve seen in the States are typically sold in cute little boxes. You can make it homemade but the recipes looks a bit daunting. The store-bought bread is delicious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panettone
I’ll have to look for it next season. Thanks for the info.
Shoot, Katie. I don’t even know what Panettone bread is! And I don’t drink eggnog, but the recipe sure looks yummy.
I’ll be impressed if you manage 13 blogs; while I love to blog, I haven’t blogged for about a month! Life has a way of interrupting the best-laid plans–that and I, too, hate being rejected. (My PB rejection list apparently knows no bounds.)
Good luck!
You and Robin make a good point about my need to explain some obscure ingredients. Tomorrow’s recipe is Indian Lentils and Rice with some unique ingredients. I inluded more info about the ingredients. Hopefully it is helpful. Feedback from y’all is very helpful – thanks! Glad I’m not the only with blog issues of rejection, life getting in the way, etc.
I’ve played around with product (or “tabletop”) photography. All you really need is a tripod, a decent flash, and a way to diffuse the light. One of the best flower photos I ever did, I used a sheet of newspaper as a diffuser. Or, you can just buy a light tent; they’re not very expensive.
Actually, you need a couple of flashes…
Or, you can forgo flashes and use hot lights.
I have the tripod (yay UUCH auctions!). Now I need better lighting and an artistic style. Looked for a difuser but couldn’t find one to fit my camera. Probably need a better camera too, but trying to make do with what I have for now. I saw a lighting/screen setup at Southerland’s Photo that looks promising (Maybe that’s what you mean by a tent? It was ~$120). Not sure I’ll ever have the artistic style or eye, but I’ll keep trying!