Best Creme Brûlée French Toast Ever

This is probably the best french toast I've ever made & had! One day I thought, why don't I try soaking old bread in Creme Brûlée cream and frying it?

Amazingly yummy, moist and perfect! I used Alton Brown's Creme Brûlée recipe, but instead of pouring the batter into ramekins I poured it into a large pan to cover a loaf of old (semi-hard) ciabatta bread, cut into slices. I let it soak over night in the fridge. The next day I melt butter and a little sugar (for the brulee part!) in a pan and fry each slice until golden. 

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or a TBS of vanilla extract)
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks

1 loaf stale bread, sliced

Directions

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use. (if using vanilla extract, do not put it in yet)

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Let it cool, then add vanilla extract into the mixture. 

Line a large pan with bread slices. Pour egg mixture over bread and cover with plastic warp. Refrigerate. 

In a large frying pan melt butter and a sprinkling of sugar. Fry each slice of bread in butter & sugar mixture until golden brown. 

Top with maple syrup, or fresh fruit.

SO GOOD!

Paper Supplies

If you are in need of somer simple glassine or brown paper we have a few new sizes in the Paper Supply Shop here.

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Seeding Method for Tempering Chocolate

 

This is the Seeding Method in which to melt & Temper chocolate.

Using a double boiler method. Melt two thirds of the chocolate you plan to use, over simmering water  until it reaches 120°F for Dark Chocolate, 116°F for Milk Chocolate, or 114°F for White Chocolate. 

(be careful not to let moisture from the steam come into contact with the chocolate or it will seize up -- no bueno :/ )

I like to chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces for easier melting. While continuously stirring, begin to add remaining third of chocolate into the first batch. This lowers the temperature of the initial chocolate. This also adds new crystals to the chocolate. Watch your thermometer until it reaches 84°F for Dark Chocolate, 81°F for Milk Chocolate, or 79°F for White Chocolate.

Now you are going to bring the temperature of the chocolate finally to 89°F for Dark Chocolate, 86°F for Milk Chocolate or 82°F for White Chocolate. Do this by putting the chocolate back over the double boiler on a very low setting. Watch carefully until it finds the right temperature. Now you can use in molds and other decorative projects.

That's it! Tempering chocolate is preferable when making chocolate candies and decorations because it allows the chocolate to be come shiny and crisp, lending for a beautiful presentation.

remember these peanut butter cups!

A Easter Birds Nest is my Fave!

I made these simple easter treats for Melanie's youaremyfave blog :). White chocolate Birds nest! Find the instructions to put them together there. Happy Chocolate making.

It's still snowing

Everyone, it's still snowing in Upstate, New York. Every few days it'll get super sunny and beautiful out and then SNOW! Luckily today at least there is lots of sunshine to go with our lawns full of powder. (this photo is from a few days ago).

We are almost there Spring . . .

The Tavares' Family

We shot this adorable family at sunset. They were so fun and sweet to work with and you can find more photos from the shoot here. More families on the website.

Amanda & Phil's Wedding

We shot a sweet wedding in town a while ago and I've posted more photos on the Photo Site. Their wedding was at our state park and full of beautiful handmade touches. It rained for a bit, which made for slightly squishy shoot, but we had fun anyway. Find more photos from the wedding here. More weddings on the website.

Easter Treats . . .

Working on a project for Easter . . . instructions to come.

Tastiest, Easiest, Quickest Pizza

For lunch I threw together the quickest, most tasty pizza ever. I used naan flat bread, some bottled marinara, and my favorite toppings, mozzarella, prosciutto, and fresh baby spinach. It's so simple.

Newborn Baby Silas

It's been a while since I've posted new photos to the photo site. Our first new born baby shoot, Alison & Silas. This little guy was only 10 days old on the day of the shoot.

Also, a side note. I had some trouble transferring the site to a new host and lost some info. So I had to revert to an old version of the site. I'm hoping to update and add lots of new photos soon.

Thanks so much for reading. More newborns on the website.

Baking Cupcakes

I picked up the newest special edition of the best of Martha Stewart Living Cakes & Cupcakes magazine. I was so inspired by the cover, that I baked my own yellow butter cupcakes with chocolate swiss meringue icing. 

There is a cute cupcake shop in NY that makes the most beautiful flower decorated cupcakes, and I've been wanting to make something like this . .  here is my first attempt.