Pineapple Upside Down French Toast

Sundays around Chez Phillips are pretty casual affairs; church, lots of sports watching and casual meals.  This morning I decided it was time for something fun for breakfast and I needed to use up some pineapple from Specialty Produce  and challah that I'd bought at Bread and Cie.

When I wrote my book Perfect Party Food I devised many delicious variations on French Toasts that involved a layer of fruit in a brown sugar syrup on the bottom and custard soaked bread on the top; the baked French toast was then baked, and turned out. The molten fruit and syrup on the top drips into the French toast giving it a delicious flavor.
This is a great way to get rid of leftover fruit; think bananas, apples, pears, pineapple, berries, peaches, plums---this can either be breakfast food or dessert depending on your preference.  We had this with a Denver omelet frittata.

Pineapple Upside Down French Toast

 Serves 6 to 8

For the Bread 

6 cups torn egg bread (challah, or try the Hawaiian sweet egg bread)

4 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla paste

1. Put the bread into a large mixing bowl.  
2. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, cinnamon and vanilla.  
3. Pour the mixture over the bread, and stir to soak the bread.  Set aside while preparing the fruit. 
4. Do-Ahead:  The bread can be soaked overnight in the refrigerator and then spread on the fruit.  

For the Fruit

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons dark rum (optional but amazing!)

2 to 3 cups cut up fruit (peeled, cored and thinly sliced or pineapple cut into chunks)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat the inside of a 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  
2. In a small skillet, melt the butter, add the brown sugar, and stir until the sugar is melted.  
3. Remove from the heat and add the rum, stirring to combine.  Pour the mixing into the baking dish, and top with the fruit. 
4. Spread the bread mixture over the fruit and place on a baking sheet to catch any drips.  
5. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the filling is set.  
6. Using a dish that is 2-inches larger than the baking dish, place the dish on top of the baking dish, and flip the French toast.  (If you don't want to do this, it's not a problem, just serve, spooning the juices and fruit over the French toast)  
7. Do-Ahead:  If you would like to freeze this, bake it for 25 to 30 minutes--the center will still be a little jiggly, but will register 150 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer.  Cool completely, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Defrost in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature and bake covered @ 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes to heat through. 

Fresh pineapple is coming in right now, pick one up, they are like honey!  But if you still have apples, or pears hanging around, this will work well for them, too.  Other add-ins---think nuts, raisins, other flavorings---almond is great for peaches and plums.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Shrimply Irresistable

I've loved shrimp as long as I can remember; I could wax poetically about shrimp dishes I've loved just like Bubba in the movie Forest Gump, when he tells Forest how many ways you can make shrimp.
I'm particularly fond of shrimp salads and shrimp cocktail in the summertime.  Shrimp arrive in our markets here in California frozen; the shrimp that may look fresh in the case, is really frozen and defrosted.  When buying, buy the shrimp that's frozen, at least that way you'll know you're defrosting it.  I always have shrimp in the freezer, and today was one of those days when I felt like a shrimp salad, and had some leftover lobster roll buns from Bread & Cie here in San Diego.  So, Dr. C and I feasted for lunch, drowning our sorrows when the Padres lost to the Phillies.....it really is our losing season. 

 Shrimp and Dill Salad
Serves 4
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 teaspoon fresh snipped dill (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/3 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked and chopped
grated zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients, adding more mayonnaise if desired.  
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a toasted roll.  

A toasted roll really perks this up

As I tell Dr. C. you cannot rush a toasted roll!

Shrimp Roll with Potato Salad....ahhh summer!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Road Trip!

Dr. C. and I haven't taken a road trip in a very long time; I'm wondering if we've forgotten how to do this!  Tomorrow we leave for Colorado to spend time with a friend and her family. We are making stops in Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon, as well as passing through garden spots like Barstow, Mesquite and Cedar City---I've never been to Colorado except to change planes, so this should be an interesting trip and I'll try and post photos of the scenery and the food along the way.  I've been told there are bison burgers, and elk steaks (or is it the other way around?) in my future, so I'll let you know how that goes!

What does one pack for this week long trip?  More than you need, that's for sure--not sure why, but even though I know I'm not going to a third world country I always pack much more than I should. 

Today I got the snacks for the car: Tate's bake shop chocolate chip cookies, kettle corn (can't resist), Stonewall kitchens crackers (I think there are Asiago, cheddar and beer, and some sugar grahams)and hot chocolate mix, roasted salted Virginia peanuts, mocha hazelnut biscotti from Bread and Cie, and Dirty Kettle potato chips.  I think that will last us til we get to Vegas!  

We are leaving at dawn on Saturday, and I think we'll probably stop on the way for a lumber jack breakfast, and then head Northeast in a cholesterol/carb induced coma towards Utah, ending at Zion sometime in the afternoon. 

I'll update as often as I can on this trip and wish you all a great weekend.