Tag: FRUIT

BANANA LEMON BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST

BANANA LEMON BLUEBERRY* FRENCH TOAST
1 16 ounce loaf DAY OLD sourdough, french or brioche bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 LARGE roasted bananas (OPTIONAL) see note
1 1/2 cup WILD small blueberries*
6 LARGE eggs
4 large egg whites
2 cups milk
1/3 cup PURE maple syrup
ZEST and juice of 1 LARGE lemon
1 tablespoon PURE vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Powdered sugar, butter and maple syrup for serving

  • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Spread a layer of the roasted bananas on the bottom of the baking dish

 

  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt.
  • Fold in the bread pieces.
  • Pour mixture into baking dish evenly.
  • Sprinkle blueberries over bread pieces.
  • Cover the baking dish tightly with saran and refrigerate over night.

 

  • Remove baking dish from refrigerator and let sit out while you preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Bake uncovered 45-55 minutes until golden brown and center is set.
  • Serve dusted with powdered sugar or butter and maple syrup.

NOTE:*

  • You can substitute the blueberries with just about ANY other berry, peaches or even apples making this recipe just as delicious!
  • Let the bread cubes sit out on the counter overnight. The dryer they are, the more custard they will absorb. You want them to be crispy like croutons.
  • This can be frozen, but I really don’t recommend it – it always seems soggy to me.
  • This is a GREAT way to use up bananas if you need to, but the recipe works wonderfully even without them.

BANANA PINEAPPLE SOUR CREAM PUDDING CAKE

BANANA PINEAPPLE SOUR CREAM PUDDING CAKE
8 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice (DO NOT DRAIN)
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
18 ounce yellow cake mix
7 ounce package Jell-O instant banana pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1⁄4 cup oil

  • In a small bowl, combine pineapple and the baking soda; mix well.
  • 
In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients; stir in pineapple.
  • Blend, then beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
  • Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
  • Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
  • Cool in pan about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from pan and finish cooling on wire rack.
  • 
Dust with powdered sugar

BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

In an effort to clean out magazines and cookbooklets, I joined Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice several years ago. What I really liked was that she wasn’t strict about when you posted so I could publish these yummy results as I found them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find her bog for awhile and then she changed formats, but it got me working on that pile of recipes.

If you are anything like me, you have a drawer or a box full of recipes from newspapers, magazines, old maiden aunts, grandmothers, friends and every potluck you ever went to and said I have to have that recipe! Now while I usually keep the combination of spices and seasonings somewhat intact, I do make changes that make it more palatable to my family. So I always keep a list of likes, dislikes and allergies and am constantly altering recipes to fly by the seat of my pants.These recipes have been floating around so long in the box of scraps that I have no idea where they originated (but they look like pages from an old Lawry’s magazine when I worked there) which based on all my changes doesn’t matter, but reminds me to keep that box. Some days I feel like an archaeologist, but come up with oldies that were favorites and will now be revived.


BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

3-4 firm pears, pared and cut into fourths
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small squares
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 to 6 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans, optional
1/4 cup rum soaked golden raisins**

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Arrange pears side by side, center down in an un-greased 8×8 baking dish.
  • Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Sprinkle raisins around the pears.
  • Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
  • Evenly dot with the butter squares.
  • Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes or until pears are tender and brown sugar is bubbly.

NOTES:

  • *I deleted the pecans and increased the brown sugar to 1/3 cup while adding the cinnamon also.
    **I soaked the raisins in rum for a day or so before and they were yummy!
  • Next time I will maybe broil the pears for a couple of minutes after they come out of the oven to crystallize the sugar.