Category: Breakfast

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CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE BISCOTTI

AUTHOR: LORD BYRON’S KITCHEN

Christmas Fruitcake Biscotti is the best of both worlds! There’s that crunchiness we all love about biscotti, with the chewiness of all of that mixed candied fruit!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups mixed candied fruit

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Using a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs and beat to incorporate.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt; beat to incorporate.
  • Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the mixed candied fruit.
  • Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!) Form log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 5″ wide and 14″ long.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to 300°F.
  • Use a fine serrated knife to slice the loaf into 3/4″ slices.
  • Place the slices standing up, meaning that both cut sides are exposed, on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the biscotti from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.

NOTES

For the mixed candied fruit, I used the Tutti Fruitti mix from Paradise Fruits.  You can find the exact product here: https://www.paradisefruitco.com/store/paradise-tutti-fruiti-mix/

NUTRITION

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

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Banana-Pecan Syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 small bananas, thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
1 cup cane or maple syrup
Butter or vegetable oil

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the nuts and saute for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the bananas and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the syrup and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the syrup is hot and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place.

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French Toast

1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

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Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup

1 (24-inch) baguette
6 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup pecans (about 3 ounces)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups blueberries (1 cup of which will make the syrup)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cut 20 (1-inch) slices from baguette and arrange in 1 layer in the baking dish. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla and 3/4 cup brown sugar and pour evenly over bread. Chill mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours, and up to 1 day.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow baking pan, spread pecans evenly and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Toss pecans in pan with 1 teaspoon butter and salt.

Increase temperature to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture. Cut 1/2 stick butter into pieces and in a small saucepan heat with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, stirring until butter is melted. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake for 20 minutes, or until any liquid from the blueberries is bubbling.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook blueberries and maple syrup over moderate heat until berries have burst, about 3 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on solids, and stir in lemon juice. Syrup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat syrup before serving. Serve French toast with syrup.