Ain't CHRISTmas grand?

Merry Christmas!!! That is so exciting. You already know you will love your kitchen.

But...this post is nothing without recipes and pictures.

Come on...share... that pannetone French toast with maple mascarpone sounds yummmmmy

Easy: Since we have never tried making a panettone, I'll starty this with....

1. get a panettone (ours of choice is Trader Joe's with Cranberries, but ymmv. That one's highly recomnmended, however!).

2 Cut some thick slices,

3 dip in however you like French Toast (I used 2eggs + "some" milk, until about the right consistency), cook in butter (yeah, yeah - it's CHRISTMAS already! Bring on the cholesterol!).

4 Mix some real maple syrup into some mascarpone cheese until it tastes good and/or is the right consistency to drizzle onto aforementioned French toast.

5. Prepare for MAJOR gastroporn - this stuff is incredible!

I'll post the pumpkin cheesecake recipe later - it's a surefire hit! I usually make cinammon ice cream to go with it, but that WAS pushing it a little under the circumstances... :)

Well what do you know--I've got that very box (TJ's cranberry pannettone) sitting on my kitchen counter now, but alas no mascarpone.

Next year :)

sounds like a wonderful christmas!

It really does sound like you're thrilled with your new kitchen! Not to hijack the thread, yesterday's meal was the first really big one I've cooked in my new kitchen - and I was thrilled! One of the best things???? The really big and deep sink we put in - what a pleasure to be able to clean the entire roasting pan in the sink by immersing it!

The French toast recipe sounds yummy!

DonnaR/CA

Congrats! It's a huge step in the right direction.

Here's the cheesecake recipe for anybody who's interested - it's been a surefire hit every time I've made it. I sometimes subsitute one pkg of non-fat or low-fat cream cheese instead of the real deal in an attempt to make it a LITTLE less like heart-attack-on-a-plate, but it isn't as dense and creamy if you do that (still good, just less "solid").

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup ground toasted hazelnuts (any type of nut may be used)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and position rack in center of oven (too high or too low of rack placement will cause baking problems). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.

In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, hazelnuts, sugar, and butter. Mix well and press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 7 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from oven and cool crust completely on a wire racks. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add sour cream and whipping cream; beat, on low speed, just until smooth. Mix in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition; beat in pumpkin.

Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared graham cracker crust, using the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the crust (this helps get rid of any extra air bubbles).

Place cheesecake in center of middle oven rack. Position a baking pan filled halfway with hot water on lower rack. Bake 15 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake another 70 minutes or until edges are light brown and center is almost set.

Turn oven off. Let cake stand in oven, with door ajar, 30 minutes or until center is completely set.

Cool cheesecake completely on a wire rack before refrigerating. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours before cutting (the cheesecake will solidify to a perfect consistency during this time).

To serve, slide a small knife around edges of cake to loosen it and remove sides of the springform pan; transfer onto a cake plate.

If a crack should appear, simply blend together some sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract; spread over the top when ready to serve. [I do this anyway - it just tastes good, and brings out the flavour of the cheesecake mixture!)

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Donnar57
I have to ask about your sink. How big and what brand please??? I am in the middle of choosing one now. Don't mean to hijack!