Carrot-Cake French Toast with Maple Pecan Syrup and Fresh Fruit

I know, this one probably sounds a little odd. Okay, completely random. But trust me, it's amazing.  I would love to take full credit for its creation, but I can't. I got the idea of using cake from an article I read online, but they specified a different variety and a different method of cooking it. I happen to adore carrot cake; I asked my mom to make it every year for my birthday when I was little. Naturally, this seemed like the next logical progression.

So, here's how you make one of the more awesome breakfast/bruch dishes I've eaten...

Ingredients:

(For the cake)

Just a few basics...

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 handful raisins, simmered off in dark rum and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups carrots, peeled and grated



All mixed up

• 1 cup chopped pecans

(For the French Toast batter)

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Place raisins in a fry pan. Add dark rum and turn on heat to its lowest setting, being careful not to ignite the liquid. Reduce, then strain out the raisins. Set aside.
3. Mix wet and dry cake ingredients, adding raisins, in an electric mixer. Mix until well combined. Do not over mix. 
4. Grease a bread pan and pour in cake batter.
5. Bake for approximately 45-60 mins until done. If anything, err toward overcooking the cake. The French Toast batter and cooking process will rehydrate it to some degree. 
6. Remove and allow to set for 10-15 minutes before removing from the bread pan to cool. Allow to reach room temperature before slicing. 
7. Slice into 1" thick slices, similar to Texas Toast. 

8. 

   Baked and resting

   Combine French Toast batter ingredients, beat together well until combined. 
9. Preheat your pan to medium-high heat. Pan should be a non-stick variety and sprayed with Pam or other manner of non-stick spray.
10. Lightly soak each slice of cake in the French toast batter, then place gently into the pan. Cooking shouldn't take longer than 3 minutes per side, if heat is properly adjusted
11. Remove. Top with confectioners sugar, sliced strawberries, maple syrup, and crushed pecans. As much or little of each as desired. 
12. Serve

Finished baking, time to slice and cook... again...

Beef Wellington

Finished Beef Wellington

I've watched more cooking shows that star Gordon Ramsay than I care to count. Despite his profanity-laced tirades, you have to admit that he's one hell of a chef. The man holds more Michelin stars than any other chef. To that end, I've decided to do my own interpretation on one of his classic dishes -- the Beef Wellington.

No one knows why it's called "Wellington" or where the dish came from. It didn't appear in cookbooks until the 1960s, so I seriously doubt it is named after the Duke of Wellington. But I digress.

On Ramsay's show, "Hell's Kitchen," the Wellington seems to be the most regularly botched dish by his teams of chefs. Naturally, I took that as a challenge and went for it! Here's how I went about it, and what you need...

Wellington, just before slicing

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 lb of mushrooms
• Pistachios, shelled
• 1 package prosciutto
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1  package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 2 tablespoons red wine

Most recipes I've run across call for a liver pate, which is difficult to find. So, I decided to make something of a pate consistency, but with much greater depth of flavor -- not to mention it sounds more appealing than liver to most people. It wound up being a combination of pistachios and mushrooms, pulsed to the proper consistency in a food processor, then sauteed dry to remove excess moisture.

Method

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Saute pistachio/mushroom pate in a non-stick pan for 5 minutes. Do not add butter or oil. Remove from heat, and let cool. The idea is to help remove the moisture from the mixture while intensifying the flavors. 
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Then wrap with proscuitto. 
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Egg wash all areas which will be seams to help bond the dough together. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. 
• Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, score the top of the dough without cutting all the way through (using sm. paring knife), and brush with egg yolk. Sprinkle the top with a bit of rock salt, if desired.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees  for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.