Chocolate Sour Cherry French Toast

My wife, Karen, asked me to try making French Toast using La Brea Bakery’s Chocolate Sour Cherry bread. She had a great idea. If you are looking for something sweet on a Sunday morning, look no further.  This recipe is based on Alton Brown’s recipe for French Toast.

The Chocolate Sour Cherry bread is only available during the Thanksgiving / Christmas season so when I find it I freeze it and vacuum pack it 1/2 loaf (approximately eight slices) to a bag. When you want to use the bread, take it out of the bag and separate the slices to defrost.

Cream of Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This soup can be made as thick or as think as you like. I used an immersion blender but you can use a standard blender instead if you remember to take the stopper out and hold a towel over the hole to allow the steam and heat to escape. If you want this to be vegan you can use vegetable stock and omit the cream.

This recipe is based on a recipe by Tyler Florence on the Food Network.

Ham and Cheese Scones

I found this Associated Press recipe in my local newspaper. You can make it in advance and cook it when you want to eat it. My wife thought it reminded her of quiche (although it has no eggs). I think it is good enough to order in a restaurant (which is the goal of recipes on this blog).

Skillingsboller (Norwegian Cinnamon Buns)

Be careful. These Norwegian cousins of the American cinnamon roll are very addictive (and not low calorie). This recipe received a first place ribbon at the San Diego County Fair. It is adapted from a recipe in Serious Eats.

Makes approximately 2 dozen.

Caramel Sauce

There is a fine line between caramel and burnt sugar. Don’t cross it.

This recipe was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Makes approximately 2 cups.

Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies

Of course, you can make these as unfilled cookies and get twice as many. If you do that you may want to cut back a bit on the salt (the salt balances out the sweetness of the caramel filling). I user a #40 disher to portion the cookies. Finally, you will need to make some caramel sauce before you make the filling.

This recipe was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Orange-Almond Shortbread Cookies

Orange zest gives these cookies their subtle orange flavor. Make sure you have lots of milk available when you serve them. This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. It received a second place ribbon at the San Diego County Fair.

Root Vegetable Gratin

I found this recipe in the December 2010 Sunset magazine. I had never cooked with parsnips or celery root before this. They bring an earthiness and sweetness that is great on a cold winter evening.

To reheat this dish put it in a 325° for about 30 minutes. If you reheat it in the microwave, it will lose its crispiness.

Portabella Mushroom Soup

This recipe is based on a Napa Rose recipe that was taught at the Napa Rose Cooking School.

Orange Seared Salmon with Almonds

Are you looking for a dinner idea that is both healthy and flavorful? This recipe based on a recipe from Sunset magazine may be just what you need. Even though there is no butter in the sauce, it is rich and full-flavored enough to be used in place of butter. The perfect wine for this is Wilson Creek Almond Sparkling Wine