Caramel Rum Pecan French Toast

Serves 4

Happy Sunday, everyone! This is a recipe I conjured up awhile ago, and just found it hidden on my computer. I wish I could've made this today - it's the perfect Sunday brunch (and I'm soooo hungry right now)! 

Now, this is not a simple, nor easy recipe, but the final result is most definitely worth the time & effort. My family DIED over this French toast, and I'm sure yours will, too, if you decide to make it. It's crispy, sweet, buttery, and nutty! I'm making my own tummy growl. 

Ingredients:

French Toast:

• 2 cans Pillsbury Simply French Bread
• 6 eggs
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups Ian's Plain Panko crumbs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup very chopped pecans
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Small pinch ground nutmeg
• Unsalted European butter
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Caramel Rum Sauce:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• Splash Mount Gay rum

Strawberry Compote:

• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp Confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Bake French bread as directed, set aside.

Put strawberries, water, and confectioner's sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on medium high heat, covered, for a few minutes till juices come out. Uncover & let simmer, stirring occasionally till thick. Leave on low heat till ready to use.

Put caramel sauce ingredients in small saucepan, but wait to heat until French toast is almost finished.

Make egg wash: Crack 6 eggs into large shallow bowl. Add heavy cream & vanilla, mix well.

In another large shallow bowl, mix together Panko crumbs, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, & nutmeg.

Heat electric griddle to 375 degrees, or heat large pan on stove on medium high heat.

Cut French bread in 1.5 inch diagonal slices. Soak pieces in egg wash. Add large pat of unsalted butter to skillet. Dip both sides of soaked bread pieces into the pecan coating, then add to skillet. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, till browned & crispy.

Turn caramel saucepan on medium high heat. Stir constantly until ingredients are melted together well.

Dust French bread with confectioner's sugar. Serve compote & caramel rum sauce in separate bowls. Also, serve with good Maple syrup if wanted. Enjoy!

Orecchiette with Browned Butter and Snails

Serves 2-4 (I suggest doubling if you have 4 people with big appetites!)

Last week, my family and I went to North Carolina to unplug for a few days. We stopped by Dean and Deluca (an amazing specialty grocery store), where I picked up a can of gourmet French Wild Burgundy Snails. I also found some delicious looking orecchiette pasta, which seemed like the perfect pairing for the snails.

While in the mountains of North Carolina, I visited the Ashe County cheese shop and picked up some Ashe County butter, which I used in this recipe. On the last day of our vacation, we went to the West Jefferson, NC, farmer’s market - incredible! A very nice couple, Ron and Suzanne Joyner, of Big Horse Creek Farm, were set up at the farmer’s market. They specialize in Antique and Heirloom Apple Trees, but at the market, they had a booth for their fresh produce, and they had 4 different types of garlic. I bought a few bulbs of each kind, and couldn’t wait to get home to Florida to try them all! From other vendors, I also purchased some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, and a few other goodies.

This past weekend was the perfect weekend to experiment in my new kitchen. The day after we returned back to Florida, I spent the entire morning/afternoon chopping, tasting, and experimenting with a bunch of fresh ingredients gathered from our mountain getaway. I made habanero salsa and two different kinds of bruschetta with the juicy, flavorful heirloom tomatoes, but my favorite dish of the weekend was this pasta. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8.8 oz. Orecchiette pasta (or about 1/2 lb.)
• 7.5 oz. can of Wild Burgundy Snails (4 dozen small)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. Herbs de Provence, ground in mortar & pestle
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used Persian Star garlic from Big Horse Creek Farm)
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Cook orecchiette pasta as directed on package.

While pasta is boiling, heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until butter has a golden brown color. When butter has desired coloring, add garlic, Herbs de Provence, and snails. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. 

Strain pasta out of boiling water when finished, and add directly to the browned butter saucepan. Immediately add Parmesan cheese and parsley, and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve in your prettiest bowls, and serve with fresh French bread if desired.