Pannetone French Toast with Cranberry and Apricot Maple Syrup
Fried Egg over Roasted Asparagus and Prosciutto with Hollandaise
Raspberry and Mango Sorbet in Sparkling Wine with Gingerbread Biscotti
I received a small pannetone for Christmas. It's something I look forward to. It makes lovely French toast, dipped in egg and milk and gently grilled. I mixed dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots with some maple syrup and melted butter. Spooned over the toast made for a wonderful, not too sweet beginning.
A few weeks ago, Ina Garten prepared the egg dish on her show filmed in the Napa Sonoma Valley. The plate looked lovely and sounded so good. The asparagus is tossed with a bit of EVOO, salt and pepper and roasted for about 10 minutes. During the last 5 minutes I added thinly sliced prosciutto to roast as well. In a small frying pan, butter is melted and an egg cooked very slowly until the white is cooked, but the yellow is still runny.
Hollandaise has always been a mystery to me. I was never happy with the results. This recipe is done in a blender and came out perfectly. Two large egg yolks, at room temperature, are put in a blender along with lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. It is processed on low for about 15 seconds. Slowly melted butter is added to the egg/lemon mixture for about 30 seconds. The sauce is thick and creamy. I was then able to assemble the dish. Roasted asparagus on the plate, two slices of the prosciutto over them; the cooked egg is set on top of the prosciutto and the dish is drizzled with the warm hollandaise. A great mix of tastes and textures.
The dessert was served a bit later in the day. A scoop of sorbet (your choice) is put in a glass and sparkling wine poured over. I had some gingerbread biscotti that was given to me that went very will with the sorbet wine drink.
This was a lovely meal and I won't wait so long to have another brunch. Next week is the Super Bowl and I will have some traditional appetizers to enjoy with the game. But first, I will be attending a birthday party for my Aunt 'Nita. She is celebrating 'The Big One'. 100 years old! An amazing lady.
Have a great week.
