My sweet tooth and I just love this time of year. One of our family’s favorite treats is homemade chocolate-covered cherries. Like the jolly old elf himself, they show up just once a year – making them extra sweet and special. Here’s a tip…they are tasty the day they are dipped, but the longer they chill the better they become. The recipe officially suggests up to two weeks of chill time. They never make it that long in our house, but they would probably be amazing by that time. Let me know, will ya?
Chocolate-Covered Cherries
Yield: 3 dozen
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 jars (8 ounces each) maraschino cherries with stems, well drained
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, butter, milk and extract. Knead until smooth and pliable. Shape into 1-in. balls and flatten each into a 2-in. circle.
Wrap one circle around each cherry and lightly roll in hands. Place with stems up on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding on to the stems, dip cherries into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate one to two weeks before serving.
Originally published as Chocolate Covered Cherries in Country Woman November/December 1995.
Challah French Toast with Caramel Sauce and Crème Fraiche
For the ultimate in “special” breakfasts perfect for the holiday season, I give you my recipe for Challah French Toast with Caramel Sauce and Crème Fraiche. Sounds fancy and tastes delicious, but is surprisingly simple to throw together.
This recipe became a fast favorite after a visit to see my best friend in Seattle for my 30th birthday. She and her husband whipped this up for my birthday breakfast and my husband and I couldn’t get over how impressive – and absolutely delicious – it was. I begged for the recipe and have now made it for my husband for breakfast on his birthday every year since.
Whether it’s breakfast on Christmas morning or another special moment this holiday season, you won’t be disappointed serving this at your breakfast table.
For the Caramel Sauce:
¾ cup honey
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup (or so) of heavy whipping cream
Pour honey in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat. Pour sugar evenly over honey and let the sugar and honey cook to desired caramel color (about 10 minutes). Add the butter and stir until melted. Slowly add in cream in a steady stream, being careful as the mixture may boil up a bit at this point. Test the caramel’s thickness using a small spoon; it should be a slightly thick caramel consistency when cooled on the spoon. If it is thinner than desired, let cook a bit longer until desired caramel consistency is reached.
For the French Toast:
8 thick (1 inch) slices of Challah bread (or brioche)
4 eggs
Splash of milk or cream
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Lightly whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a shallow bowl to combine. Submerge each piece of bread in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side to absorb some of the liquid. Drop each piece of bread onto a buttered griddle at medium to medium-high heat and cook a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Top each slice of French toast with the caramel sauce and a dollop of crème fraiche and serve immediately.
Leftover caramel sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and warmed again to enjoy on desserts or with other holiday goodies (or just eaten cold out of the container on a spoon – yum!).