Christmas Host Trio
Butter Candied Nuts; Sweet & Savoury Breakfast Casserole and a Holiday Beverage
It’s the week before Christmas and I’m here to offer a few simple ideas to feed you and your guests.
Apart from a classic charcuterie board and cookie tray, there are other options to have on hand for casual afternoon visits or to nourish yourself as you cook, clean and get ready for the festivities.
These butter candied nuts will satisfy pangs of hunger and please the palate. Slightly spicy, crunchy, buttery, sweet, toasty and nutty, my butter candied nuts come together in a cinch. These are great because you can use any kind of nut you have on hand.
Sweet and Spicy Butter Candied Nuts
To make these, you will need:
A baking tray lined with parchment paper.
3 cups of nuts: I used 1 cup peanuts, 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup pepitas.
Toast the nut medley in a dry frying pan on medium-heat until slightly shiny. Watch over them, stir and flip them often. They will be ready when they start to smell roasty-toasty after approximately 5-7 minutes.
Remove from pan, pour into a bowl, and set aside.
Using the same pan on medium-low heat, add:
3 tbsp butter, melt down and while whisking, add:
1/4 cup brown sugar, whisk until melted, then add:
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp salt
Using a spatula, cook until mixture becomes bubbly, stirring constantly.
Add 2 tbsp of your favourite coffee creamer or regular cream. I added Irish coffee creamer - this trick really makes this recipe special! I’m sure you could use Baileys or regular Irish cream, too!
Turn off the heat element and add your nuts to combine.
Pour mixture on the parchment and sprinkle with a handful (1/8 cup) of chocolate chips and place in the freezer to set.
Once set, after about 30 minutes, your butter candied nuts are ready to break into smaller sized bark and serve!
Keep them in a freezer safe ziplock, in the freezer, until ready to serve if making ahead.
Sweet and Savoury Breakfast Casserole
Imagine bacon and french toast baked together with cinnamon and a few cranberries to create this one pot breakfast wonder! It’s the perfect holiday dish to start your day - here’s what you’ll need to feed 4.
1.5 lb of bacon, pre cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces.
2 loafs of baguette or 1 large loaf of crusty bread, cut or torn into 1 inch pieces.
3 eggs
3/4 cups milk (any variety)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup frozen cranberries, or any berry! (opt.)
1 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
3 tbsp maple syrup
Preheat your oven to 375°C.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest. Add your bread pieces and toss thoroughly to coat. Add the bacon pieces and berries until everything is combined.
Using a large baking casserole dish (rectangular works best), pour the reserved bacon fat into the dish and using your fingers, coat all sides.
Pour the egg, bread and bacon mixture into the baking dish. Press down on everything slightly to ensure a tight fit. Generously pour maple syrup over the top of the casseroles’ contents.
Cover with foil for the first 25 minutes of the bake and for the last 15-20 minutes, uncover.
It will bake for a total of 40-45 minutes at 375°C.
Let cool for 5 minutes, cut, serve and devour this easy and delicious breakfast bacon french toast casserole.
Holiday Beverage:
Chamomile, Burnt Thyme and Lemon Simple Syrup
Simple syrups are wonderful to have on hand when hosting. They elevate a feature cocktail (or faux-tail, pronounced fohk-tail) for your guests. The ingredients above are what I used to create the simple syrup to make this sublime drink.
Forrest Angostura
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved.
Add:
1 chamomile tea bag
1 pinch of salt
1 sprig of thyme, set on fire a few times and plunge into the simple syrup.
4 pieces of lemon peel
Juice of half a lemon
Turn off heat and let sit for as long as you can.
When ready to make your cocktail, strain the simple syrup over a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth.
In a shaker, fill with ice and add:
1 oz simple syrup
1.5 oz of vodka, gin or non-abv spirit substitute
6 dashes of angostura bitters (omit if making an NA fauxtail)
Shake and pour in a crystal coupe of your choosing, garnish with dried or candied lemon and wow your guests.
For the faux-tail option, once shaken and served, top with something fizzy like ginger ale or ginger beer.
This concludes my recipes for the year of 2022. Thank you and I hope your holiday season is blissful and fills you with joy. We will be back in January with recipes to get us through the cold months with a side order of preparing our summer gardens and bounty! How exciting.
Bonne année et Bonne bouffe à tous!
The photos you take are amazing!