Monthly Archives: December 2012

Panettone Bread Pudding

One of our new recipes this year was a special bread pudding, as created by Ina Garten. (Yes, I’m a bit obsessed with her recipes but Kiley actually picked this one out.) Ina makes her pudding with panettone, the Italian sweet bread that is often eaten (and gifted) at Christmas. It’s kind of the Italian equivalent of the American fruit cake that everyone gets at holidays and then doesn’t know what to do with it…

I had never been a big fan of it, but my parents have been paying visits to the Italian markets in Brooklyn and got ahold of a some delicious chocolate panettone so we figured we’d try out this new recipe for Christmas.

So here you go, panettone recipients. Here is what you can do to spice up this sweet bread.

Ingredients

1 Italian panettone, about 1.2 pounds
Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
3 extra-large whole eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Trim the dark brown outer crust from the panettone (optional). (I just cut off the top.) Cut the rest of the loaf in 1-inch cubes and place on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast the panettone for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

(Our panettone was exceptionally moist – and chocolatey – so we cooked it closer to 15 minutes.)

Grease a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish with the butter. Place the panettone cubes in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts and sugar.

Pour this custard mixture over the panettone. (Press the bread down with your hands so that it gets completely immersed in the liquid.)

Set aside for 10 minutes so the bread soaks up the custard.

Scatter the sliced almonds over the top of the pudding.

Place the baking dish into a larger pan and add very hot tap water to the larger pan until it’s halfway up the side of the baking dish.

Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn’t touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake the pudding for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes, until the custard is set and the top of the pudding is light golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(We made this the day before and then reheated the pudding in the water bath on Christmas day.)

Yum!

Click here to print the recipe from Food Network and to watch a video of Ina making it herself!

How to Make Cake Balls

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Cake pops and cake balls are a pretty popular treat these days. They were made popular by blogger Bakerella and she remains the queen of cake pop recipes. I’ve made cookie balls before, but never cake balls, so I figured it was time for me to give it a try. So here goes!

You will need:

Boxed cake mix
Icing
Chocolate, for melting
Sprinkles/decorations

Make cake according to package directions.

After cooled, crumble cake into a bowl so that it breaks into small crumbs.

Next, add icing. Add about 2 heaping spoonfuls and then add more if needed. (If you add too much, the cake can become too creamy and sweet.)

Roll cake into balls. (If cake doesn’t roll nicely, add more icing.) Freeze for a half hour.

Melt chocolate over double boiler. If it does not become liquid enough, add a dash of oil. (Note: you can also melt in the microwave, but only heat a few seconds at a time, stirring in between – you can burn the chocolate and it becomes lumpy.)

Dip cake balls into chocolate and place on pan. Top with sprinkles immediately – chocolate hardens fast!

And voila! Cake balls for any occasion!

Santacon!

Nailed It

Holiday Gift Guide: What the Heck Do I Get ….

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Gifts for The Ones That Have EVERYTHING

Wine Packages: Wall Street Journal has some great wine packages for the wino. For $70 you can get an assortment of quality wines shipped to a wine lover.

VHS or Photo Converter: Remember when we printed pictures and put them in boxes and recorded video tapes and left them in cabinets? There are services that can convert all of these items and make these digital. Or, if you’re like me, and are too afraid to ship away your memories and trust the postal service with them, you can do it yourself! Scanning photos, although time-consuming, is easy. And for those old VHS tapes, you can purchase a converter that hooks your VCR to your computer. (I got mine on LivingSocial for $19.) A personalized photo book with those old photos is also a nice touch.

Photo Canvas: These make great art and an amazing gift if you’re looking for something sentimental. You can find deals online, or even places like Walmart now print on canvas. Last year, we found a great deal on Groupon and printed a photo of my mom’s horse. These are also great for landscapes, vacation pictures, or family portraits.

Ugg Mocassins: This is a matter of taste because my mom thinks they’re ugly. But for any Ugg wearers, these are the most amazing and comfortable things you can put on your feet. Made with the same comfortable material as Uggs, but with these you don’t even have to bend down to put them on. You can wear them as slippers or outdoors as shoes.

Apple TV: For the gadget-loving Apple enthusiast that already has all of the other techie products, this is a fun gift. Watch movies on iTunes or Netflix, view picture slideshows, and view anything that’s on your iPhone, iPad or laptop. Only $99!

Personalized Cheese Board from Etsy, with an engagement logo that Kiley designed for her friend!

Personalized Cutting Boards on Etsy: These make great housewarming, engagement, and shower gifts too. I particularly love the state cutting boards which places a heart over your city. (Kiley got me and my mom one of these – NJ is the cutest state!) Or – crediting Kiley again – for an engagement engraving initials is a personal touch. Pair it with a knife/spreader that reads with cute messaging like “Spread Love.”
UPDATE: If you order on their website on 12/7 you can get 10% off with code HOLIDAY.

Beecher's Cheese Boxes Beecher’s Cheese Boxes

Beecher’s Cheese Box: My new favorite restaurant, Beecher’s, has great gift boxes that contain products you’ll actually enjoy using and eating, rather than having it sit in your pantry for years. If you can’t make it to NYC, they ship for an additional charge.

And on the smaller side, here are some ideas for Stocking Stuffers (also great for Secret Santa gifts):

Touch Screen gloves: no need to give up texting when it’s cold out! This deal pops up on LivingSocial too!
Essie: All girls need some quality nail polish (apparently it’s now sold at Marshall’s for $4).
Wine Candles: Rewined Candles recycles wine bottles into candles and ships them anywhere in the U.S. You can get any varietal for $20, or a 3 pack for $50 on LivingSocial!

J'ai La Vie

I have the life.