Day Old......

Today I was 3/4 of the way through my KETTLE BELL EXERCISE WORKOUT, and breathing really hard when I plopped down in my recliner and turned on the today show.
It was some fun recipes for day old breads..... they look so good.


Have day-old bread? Don’t panic!
Chef Charlie Palmer shows you how to transform old bread into delicious new dishes.

There's nothing like fresh bread from the bakery, but what do you do with those baked goodies after a few days? Charlie Palmer is the chef and owner of Aureole restaurant in New York, and he has recipe ideas that are anything but stale. In fact, these French toast and bread pudding dishes will make you grateful for the aging process.

Croissant French toast with fresh berries
Chef Charlie Palmer
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For the berries:

• 2 pints strawberries, rinsed, hulled and quartered
• 1 pint blueberries, rinsed
• 1 pint blackberries, rinsed
• 1 pint raspberries, rinsed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, thinly sliced
For the French toast:

• 9 day-old croissants
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 shot whiskey (mmmmm.....might not have this in my pantry....will probably leave it out)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the garnish:

• 3 cups whipped cream
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
• Warm maple syrup


DIRECTIONS
To prepare the berries:

Combine the berries in a large, shallow dish. Sprinkle with sugar, lemon juice and mint and toss gently. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.
Process 3 cups of the berries in a blender until pureed. Mix the puree with the remaining whole berries.
To prepare the French toast:

Halve the croissants as if you were making sandwiches.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, whiskey and cinnamon, and pour the mixture into a large shallow pan. Immerse the croissant halves in the liquid and let them soak for a few minutes, then flip them over and soak them for another minute.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the crois­sants, a few at a time, until golden on both sides, adding more butter as necessary. As they’re cooked, put the croissants in a shallow pan loosely tented with aluminum foil to keep them warm.
To serve:
Place two pieces of French toast on each plate. Top with berry mixture, drizzling warm maple syrup around the plate if desired. Spoon a good dollop of whipped cream over the berries and cover with another piece of French toast. Dust with confec­tioner’s sugar and serve immediately.


Brioche bread pudding

Chef Charlie Palmer
Serves 10
INGREDIENTS
For the bread pudding:
• 1 loaf (about 14 ounces) crusty, day-old brioche, cut into large cubes any kind of bread will work)
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 cup port (see below)
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
For the vanilla cream:
• 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved

DIRECTIONS

Spread the chunks of brioche on a baking sheet and toast in a 350-degree F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let the brioche air-dry for 20 minutes.
For the custard, in a large bowl, beat together the eggs, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, spices and a pinch of salt; add the reserved port and beat until blended.
Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease a 3-quart baking dish.
Toss the chunks of brioche with the raisins and spoon them into the baking dish. Pour the custard over the bread and press gently so it is absorbed evenly. Let stand for 20 minutes to ensure that the bread has soaked up all the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Dot the top of the pudding with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Cover the baking dish with foil, molding it to the rim of the dish. Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, or until just set. Remove the foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.
When the pudding is done, transfer the dish to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
While the pudding is cooling, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla seeds until the cream forms soft peaks.
Serve the pudding with the vanilla cream.



Non-alcoholic Substitute for Wine in Recipes

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Nonalcoholic Substitutions
For soups and pan sauces use extra broth and add red or white wine vinegar or lemon juice right before serving using the following ratios:

To replace 1/2 cup wine use: 1/2 cup broth + 1 teaspoon wine vinegar
1/2 cup broth + 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Wine, Red

Note: add water, white grape juice, apple juice, or broth, if necessary, to get the specified amount of liquid called for in the recipe. or Grape juice; vegetable stock; cranberry juice; tomato juice; or concord grape jelly

1/4 cup or more red wine, substitute the following:

equal measure of red grape juice, cranberry juice, apple cider, chicken broth, clam juice, flavored vinegar, or nonalcoholic wine. If you use nonalcoholic wine, add a tablespoon of vinegar to cut the sweetness

Wine, White

White grape juice; apple cider; apple juice; vegetable stock; or water

1/4 cup or more white wine, substitute the following:

equal measure of white grape juice, chicken broth, vegetable broth, clam juice or nonalcoholic wine. If you use a nonalcoholic wine, add a tablespoon of vinegar to cut the sweetness.

Wine, White, Dry

Water, chicken broth, bullion or consomme, gingerale, white grape juice, diluted cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, liquid from canned mushrooms.

Wine, heavy

1/4 cup or more port, sweet sherry, rum, brandy, liqueur, substitute the following: equal measure of unsweetened orange juice or apple juice plus 1 teaspoon of corresponding flavored extract or vanilla extract.

General Marinade Substitutes

Substitute for 1 cup of alcohol with:

1 cup of citrus juice, lemonade, pineapple or orange juice.
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice or orange juice.
1 cup of tomato juice diluted by 1/4 with water or vinegar.
1/2 cup of light soy sauce and 1/2 cup of citrus juice.
1/2 cup of light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of peanut oil.
1 cup of teriyaki sauce1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar

Quite the extremes.....Kettle bells to French toast and bread pudding in about 60 seconds! :}