Pain Perdu and "Amelie"

Pain Perdu is the French dish that consists off bread dipped in an eggy custard and pan fried in butter - sound familiar? In America we know this dish simply as French Toast. Pain Perdu in French means "lost bread" and it's name comes from the common use of older bread that has become too hard to eat. Dipping it in the custard was a way to use the bread they'd other wise have to discard. Actually, using day old bread that is a bit harder works better then fresh bread that's still soft. The stale bread will soak up more of the custard without becoming mushy. Today, French Toast is a staple on breakfast tables and diner menus across the country and it's a favorite meal of mine anytime of day. The key to making great Pain Perdu is using very good crispy bread and having a perfectly sweet custard to dip it in. Since we're making a very simple and classic French dish today, a perfect movie to go along with it is 2001 film "Amelie". Some of you may write this film off right away. It's a foreign movie and you'll have to read the subtitles, Unless you understand French, but this is a beautiful, funny, heartwarming, and magical film I really think you should all see. Before we get into the flick, lets make our food!

Recipe yields 6 to 8 large slices of Pain Perdu

1 loaf of good quality French Bread (a day or two old is best)
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

¼ cup of heavy cream

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

Butter
Maple syrup or powdered sugar for serving

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

In a shallow dish, combine the 3 whole eggs and the heavy cream. To make the custard for my Pain Perdu a little thicker and richer, I like to add an additional egg yolk to the mixture. If you don't know how to separate and egg yolk for the white, it's actually really simple. There are many methods to do this but the easiest is just to crack the egg and pour the egg through into your hand over a bowl like I have pictured. Separate your fingers slightly and gently shake your hand. The egg whites will fall through the crack of your fingers leaving only the egg yolk.

To the eggs and the cream, add your vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Whisk the custard together until the eggs have been beaten together.

In a saute pan, melt about a tablespoon of butter over medium to medium high heat. Take a slice of your bread and lay it in the egg custard. Let the bread soak for about five to ten seconds on each side so that it's able to absorb a good amount of the custard.

Once the butter has melted in the pan, lay the bread in the melted butter. Fry the toast on each side for about five minutes or so. To be honest I rarely time my Pain Perdu when I cook it in my pan, it's all about color and texture. The bread should be golden brown with some spots of darker brown throughout.


Once the toast has been fried on both sides, transfer right from the pan to the plate or into the oven while we finishing frying the rest. Add more butter to the pan as needed when cooking the batches of toast.

For serving, I like the cut the Pain Perdu in half on an angle. Arrange the toast nicely onto a plate and place a nice pat of cold butter on top. The heat from the Pain Perdu will melt the butter. Top with either powdered sugar or some maple syrup and serve hot. It's no wonder the world has fallen in love with this classic French dish. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or desert! Now that we have a plate on sweet and delicious French Pain Perdu it's time to enjoy one of the best French Films ever created, "Amelie".

Amelie is a strange young woman with an imagination that knows no bounds. As a young girl, she was miss diagnosed with a heart condition which kept her from attending school like the other children. Instead, Amelie spent most of her childhood alone and used her imagination to keep her entertained. Now a young woman working in the heart of Paris as a waitress, she still sees the world in the same beautifully imaginative way she did as a young girl.

One night, Amelie discovers a hidden tin filled with childhood treasures of a previous occupant on her apartment. When Amelie secretly returns the lost tin to it's rightful owner, she witnesses his reaction of pure joy. Seeing the mans reaction, Amelie becomes inspired by her actions and devotes her life to bringing that same joy to the people around her. Throughout her journey, Amelie may have met the love of her life...if she allows herself to believe it. The world of love and beauty she thought only existed in her imagination might not be as far off as she dreamed.

"Amelie" is a unique film. It's directed in a very artful and almost magical way that I couldn't help but fall in love with. The soundtrack alone is enough to watch this movie, it's truly a beautiful score that Yann Tiersen created. "Amelie" wasn't a movie I thought I would enjoy at all, and it ended up restoring my faith in films. If any of you ever questioned if making movies was a form of art, "Amelie" should prove to you a thousand times over that it is. Click here for a quick glimpse at the movie, "Amelie".

English Scones with Dried Cherries and "Death at a Funeral"

The very first time I saw a scone made was on Ina Garten's Food Network program, The Barefoot Contessa. Seconds after the episode's conclusion, I was searching through my pantry and in no time at all I was removing a freshly baked tray of scones from my oven.Many years have passed since that first batch was made and after developing my own recipe, scones have become one of my favorite things to make. Scones are a very popular pastry in the UK and you'll find many different variations of them - both sweet and savory. For my scones, the combination of lemon zest for a fresh flavor and sweet and tart dried Cherries is the best combo I've come up with so far. Since this is my favorite pastry from the United Kingdom, for this week I wanted to share my favorite movie from there as well. The 2007 film "Death at a Funeral" (Please don't even consider watching the rip off 2010 remake with Chris Rock) is witty, original, and hilarious and one my family and I really got a kick out of. Grab a spot of tea, make a batch of scones, sit back in front of the television, and enjoy a bloody good comedy called "Death at a Funeral". Recipe will yield about 16 scones and total prep and cook time is around 1 hour.

4 cups of all purpose flour
½ cup of granulated sugar (Additional needed for sprinkling)
2 tablespoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of lemon zest 
5 extra-large eggs
1 cup of heavy whipping cream 
1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract 
1½ cups of dried Cherries
4 tablespoons of flour

The quickest and easiest way to make a batch of theses scones is in your electric mixer with the paddle attachment equipped. Sift together our flour, baking powder, the kosher salt, and the sugar into the mixing bowl.

The key to the perfect scone is very cold butter. A scone should be flaky like a biscuit and not at all denser and chewy like a cookie like so many store bought scones I've tried. To achieve the perfect scone, we need cut the butter into small cubes and add the butter to the flour mixture. Mix the butter and the dry ingredients together until the mixture looks very coarse and the chunks of butter are about the size of a pea.

Now, crack four of the eggs into a bowl and beat them together. Add the vanilla to the eggs and mix the eggs and vanilla in with one cup of heavy cream. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together. The dough will look very wet and lumpy.

The next step is to toss the dried cherries and the lemon zest with 4 tablespoons of flour. Adding flour to the cherries and the zest will help them stick to the dough. Mix the cherries and zest into the dough just until they are incorporated.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the one remaining egg and beat together with 2 tablespoons of water or milk to make an egg wash. Sprinkle some flour down onto a clean and flat working surface. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and dump the dough out onto the floured area. The dough is going to be wet, lump, and sticky. Using the rolling pin, roll out the dough so that it's about 3/4 inch thick (Just eyeball it). You will still see lumps of butter in the dough but that's what we're looking for. The butter will melt in the hot oven and the steam it releases will give us a buttery and flaky scone. Cut the scones out using a round cookie cutter or you can cut them into squares simply by using a knife.

Place the scones onto the baking sheet and lightly brush them with a little bit on an egg wash and sprinkle the top of the scones with sugar. The egg wash will help give the scones a bit of color and also allow the sugar to stick to the scone. Place the scones into the oven and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. The tops will be golden brown and the scones will be firm to touch and you should see the bottom edges just starting to brown. Allow the scones to rest for a few minutes and transfer them to a serving tray or a storage container. They'll stay fresh for about 3 or 4 days






Now grab one of those scones and break it open. See how soft and buttery the inside looks? Loaded with dried cherries and you can just slightly pick up the scent of lemon zest we added. This my friend is what a scone should be like and they're a fairly simple pastry to make. You're friends and family will surely enjoy them. They're perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and as a buttery and delicious movie snack. This weeks movie is the outrageous and laugh out loud British comedy from director Frank Oz, "Death at a Funeral".

Daniel (Matthew Macfayden) is dealing with both the loss of his father and the stressful task of planning and paying for his funeral. The day of the funeral arrives and things go insanely and unthinkably wrong from the start. To make matters worse, Daniel's wife Jane is trying to deal with his grieving yet "witchy" mother Sandra. One by one, family and friends begin to gather to remember his father in a proper and respectful way that a funeral should. Of course, nothing about this funeral is going to be proper. Guest include his cousin's boyfriend who has been accidentally given a hallucinogen that has disguised as a Valium, his unbearably miserable Uncle Alfie, a distant family friend who only wishes to rekindle the flame from a long ago one night stand, and a mysterious guest with a secret Daniel couldn't fathom in his wildest dreams.

This is a wildly humorous and original comedy that takes such a sorrowful and depressing topic and twists it into a laugh out loud comedy. Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Alan Tudyk, Jane Asher, Kris Marshall, and Ewen Bremner are all a part of the supporting cast of British actors and each of them give solid comedic performances.

"Death at a Funeral" was a film that most of the American movie goers missed out on. The attempt to bring the screenplay to American audiences in 2010 using better known actors was a complete fail. They were unable to capture the humor and the wit of the original and it's a shame that many people saw the remake before they even knew that the original version existed. This is a film that really needs to be seen if you're looking for a few good laughs. Netflix subscribers can currently view this movie instantly online. Check out the link to the trailer for the film below to catch a sneak peak.

"Death at a Funeral" Trailer

Mango Stuffed French Toast and "50 First Dates"

It's the dead of winter here in the Northeast and even the winter lovers like myself wouldn't mind sitting on a tropical beach with nothing but clear waters ahead. Since a tropical vacation isn't in all of our travel plans, the best way I know how to go there is through food. French toast is one of my favorite meals morning, noon, or night and stuffing it with a sweet cream cheese filling and some fresh mangoes was a perfect way to transform this breakfast staple into a tropical treat. What better way to start or end a chilly winter day and let our taste buds take us on a tropical trip. Of course I have a movie that will help make your feel like you're in the tropics as well! 

1 loaf of Italian or French bread (not sliced)

2 fresh Mangoes

8oz of softened Cream cheese

3 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar

¼ Teaspoon of pure Vanilla extract

3 Eggs

½ cup of half and half

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

Pinch of fresh nutmeg

3 tablespoons of sugar

4 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Peel the mangoes and finely dice the flesh of the fruit. You'll want to select Mangoes that have a fruity smell and that have a slight give to them when you gently squeeze them. Don't use color as an indicator of ripeness. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin and then use a sharp knife to cut around the Mangoes pit. We'll be using these mangoes to stuff inside the french toast so you'll want to cut them into small pieces.

Next, whip the cream cheese, vanilla, and the powdered sugar together in a mixing bowl. The powdered sugar will help sweeten our filling and the vanilla will add flavor. Reserve about half of one mango and add the rest of the mangoes into the cream cheese mixture. Stir until everything is completely combined and set aside.

 

Using a serrated knife, slice the bread into relatively thick slices. We don't want to make them to thin or else we wont have enough room to add our filling to the bread. Once you've sliced the bread, take a small serrated knife and make a cavity into each slice. Start by cutting from one end to the other as close to the middle as possible but try not to cut all the way through

 

Using a small spoon, take some of the mangoes and cream mixture and fill the inside of each slice of bread. Use about 3 tablespoons or so for each piece but there is no need to be exact. Gently press spread the filling out as best you can and gently press down on each slice of bread. Once you've filled all the slices of bread, set aside for now and prepare the custard we'll use to dip each piece before we grill them.

Combined the eggs, half and half, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and the nutmeg in a large shallow dish like a pie plate. Whisk everything together until the eggs are completely beaten and the rest of the ingredients have been incorporated. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and melt two tablespoons of butter. Dip both sides of each slices of bread quickly in the egg mixture and places onto the preheated skillet.

Cook each side for about 4 to 5 minutes, checking about half way through. We're looking for that perfect golden brown color and that crispy texture. Flip each piece of toast and cook on the opposite side until golden brown. You can keep the french toast warm in a 225 degree oven until you're ready to serve.

To add the final touch to the dish, saute the mango we saved when we made our filling with 2 tablespoons of butter for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir together until melted. Serve the french toast with a small serving of the mango syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar. Crispy on the outside and a sweet mango cream center, all that's left is pop in the movie and enjoy!

The 2004 romantic comedy "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Sandler plays Henry Roth, a vet who lives in paradise and finds himself romancing a different woman every week. Luckily for Henry, all these women are tourists and he always finds a creative way to ditch them right before they fly home. One morning while grabbing a bite to eat, Henry sees an adorable blonde named Lucy (Barrymore) enjoying her breakfast and he can't help but introduce himself. The two instantly hit it off and agree to meet at the same restaurant the next morning for breakfast. 

Henry returns to the restaurant just as planned and approaches Lucy as she walks in. Trouble is, Lucy has no memory of ever meeting Henry. Henry finds out from the staff at the restaurant that Lucy had a car accident the year before and has lost her short term memory. She wakes up everyday thinking that it's October 13th, the day of her accident. Henry is completely love stricken by Lucy and can't admit that he won't be able to get her to remember him when she wakes up the next day. Henry does everything he can think of to try and get Lucy keep her short term memory so he can finally know how true love feels. Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Blake Clark, and Rob Schneider co-star in this refreshing and heart warming comedy. Here is the link for a preview of "50 First Dates".

Daybreak Parfait and "Morning Glory"

One of my favorite breakfast meals is a fruit and yogurt parfait. Quick, easy, delicious, and nutritious it's the perfect way to start off a busy morning or a relaxing weekend. Homemade granola couldn't be easier to make and not only is it better than most store brands, you can customize it with any flavors you like. Layer the granola with some fresh berries and creamy yogurt and you've got a breakfast that's sure to please! 

For the Granola
3 cups of oatmeal
¾ cup of sweetened/shredded coconut

1 cup of chopped walnuts

½ cup of sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoons of nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

¼ cup of brown sugar (light or dark)

¼ cup of vegetable oil

½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey

½ cup of dried cherries

½ cup of dried cranberries

For the Parfait

Your favorite yogurt - about a  ½ cup per parfait (I recommend vanilla)

2 Fresh peaches sliced

A pint of fresh Raspberries

Our freshly made granola

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large mixing bowl - toss the oatmeal, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Make sure the spices are mixed thoroughly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, oil, brown sugar, and the maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients over the oats and toss together. The best kitchen tool to do this step with is a set of clean hands - a cooks best friend. Spread the oats evenly onto an ungreased baking sheet and place into the oven.

Bake the granola for about 20 to 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes to ensure all the granola gets a nice even golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes and return the granola back into a large mixing bowl. Add the dried fruits and stir to combine. Let the granola cool completely and store in an air tight container.

To assemble the parfaits, first place a few raspberries on the bottom of the glass. If you can't find fresh, frozen berries will work just make sure they are thawed. Top the berries with a little bit of the granola. Mix a few of the sliced peaches in with the yogurt and pour over the granola. To finish the parfait, top with more granola and serve. Obviously, this parfait can be customized with any of your favorite fresh fruits and your favorite blend of yogurt. Now for this weeks movie we're staying with the theme of the morning and going with with 2010 film "Morning Glory."

Rachel McAdams stars as Becky Fuller, the newly hired energetic and passionate producer for an early morning news program called Daybreak (which inspired the name for my parfait). Daybreak is at rock bottom when it comes to ratings against the other morning news show but Becky is determined to turn the show around. Diane Keaton plays Colleen Peck, the only news anchor on the show left after Becky fires Colleen's co-host on her first day. Knowing she has to get the ratings up in order to save her job and the program, she goes after legendary news anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to fill the empty news chair and bring a respectful presence to the show. Problem is, Pomeroy feels morning news shows are a disgrace to news has no enthusiasm for his new position that he was forced to accept. To make matters worse, Colleen and Mike don't exactly enjoy sitting behind the same news desk together and Becky will have to use everything she has if she wants Daybreak to stay on air. Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson, and John Pankow co-star.  "Morning Glory" is really a wonderfully entertaining film with a great mix of comedic and heartfelt moments. Keaton and Harrison both give strong performances to add to their already brilliant film acting careers and Rachel McAdams was the perfect choice to play the loveable Becky. Click here to watch the trailer for "Morning Glory" it's a great film and one I'd recommend to all! 

Buttermilk Pancakes and "As Good as it Gets"

My grandpa passed down many things to me. His war medals, his knowledge, his classic jokes, and his love for "flap jacks". I'll take a short stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes morning, noon, or night! Add a side of crispy bacon or breakfast sausage and I am one happy camper folks! It was long after my grandfather passed away when I made my first batch of homemade buttermilk pancakes but I'm pretty sure they'd get his stamp of approval. They're quick and easy to make and are sure to please any man, woman, or child. I always get in the mood to have some pancakes when I see Jack Nicholson order his breakfast at the restaurant in one of my favorite movies "As Good as it Gets." We'll get into the movie more later, but first here is what you'll need cook up your pancakes before it's movie time.

2 cups of Buttermilk
3 Eggs
1 ½ Teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
2 Cups of flour
4 Tablespoons of Sugar
3 tablespoons of melted butter
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 ½teaspoons of baking powder

Measure out the buttermilk and whisk into it the 3 eggs, the vanilla, and the sugar until everything is combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Take you whisk and gently stir everything together so you break up any clumps of flour there might be. Next, pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the melted butter, and stir everything together until it's completely incorporated and is a smooth batter (but don't over beat). Making sure it's a smooth batter is a key step, we don't want any clumps of flour when we are pouring the pancake batter into our pan.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Take a large skillet or griddle and preheat over medium heat. The best way to determine if your pan is ready to make your pancakes is splashing a little bit of water onto the surface of the pan. If the water does nothing at first, your pan isn't warm enough and you need to increase the heat slightly. If your water immediately begins to sizzle and evaporate away your pan is too hot and you need to lower the heat slightly. When you splash the water on the pan, it should pop and "dance" around and evaporate over a few seconds time then your pan is at the perfect heat for pancake making.

Melt a little butter into the pan and pour the pancake batter evenly onto the pan. There are plenty of tools out there that claim to pour the perfect pancake but they don't work any better than a good old fashion soup ladle. Just be sure when you are pouring to keep pouring in one spot - Let the batter spread out on it's own. When you see air pockets rising to the top of pancake and the sides start to get golden brown, it's time to flip the pancake. Allow the pancake to cook for a few more minutes on the other side, about 3-5 minutes depending on the size you're making them. My grandfather had a rule that his pancakes had to be a big as the skillet he was cooking them in! Serve your pancake right from the griddle to the plate or your can keep them warm in the oven until you've cooked them all. Serve with some butter and warm maple syrup and breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night snack is served!

As I said earlier, this weeks films is the 1997 academy award winning movie "As Good as it Gets". Starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, who both received the academy awards for best actor and actress, this a film about a hard working single mother and the miserable man she's ever served breakfast to. Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a writer living in New York City who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and is in need of a major attitude adjustment. Helen Hunt is the lucky waitress named Carol Connelly who gets the pleasure of serving Melvin breakfast every morning. Greg Kinnear plays Melvin's neighbor, Simon Bishop who always seems to receive Mr. Udall's worst. However with Simon is victim of a brutal attack in his home and Melvin learns or Carol's sick son, Melvin Udall shows that he's not immune to being kind. Cuba Gooding  Jr. and an adorable Griffon Bruxellois co-star."As Good as it Gets" is truly one of my favorite films. Jack Nicholson's character is so mean at times you can't help but laugh and Helen Hunt gives by far her best performance as an actress. If this is a film you missed or overlooked, I can't urge you enough to make it a point to see this movie as soon as possible - here is the trailer for "As Good as it Gets".