A FESTIVE BRUNCH WITH DENBY
Sisley White is a local food writer and lifestyle blogger who absolutely adores Christmas. As a regular Elys contributor she was quick to sign up to create a delicious brunch perfect for the family this Christmas using the brand new Denby star range. All of which she has put on her Christmas list!
Panettone French Toast with cranberry compote.
Michael Bublé is warming up his voice, the chestnuts are roasting and I’ve been in the kitchen creating some incredible new dishes in time for Christmas.
I love Christmas not just because of the music and decorations but because of the food. The winter spices like cinnamon and ginger, warming winter pies with a rich gravy, black forest flavours in my cakes and hot chocolate, hot fruity mince pies and a glass of mulled wine warming you up on a cold evening, they all come together to make Christmas the best time of year.
To top off the excitement of the count down to Christmas I have teamed up with Denby to create a breakfast feast fit for Christmas day with all the family.
Denby have bought out a stunning new Stars range that just happens to have worked its way on to my Christmas list. This beautiful collection comes in both a rich navy blue and a white but both have a speckling of gold stars. I would definitely encourage buying both colours and layering the white and blue together. They have been designed to fit together and do a wonderful job of it.
The stars glisten in the light and add a real sense of joy when you use them. I adore navy blue and I adore stars so for me this ticks all the boxes I could want for festive tableware. Navy often isn’t a Christmas colour but the addition of stars moves it from contemporary kitchen colour to flash of the winter night sky.
This Panettone French Toast is a quick, easy and filling breakfast that will help give everyone strength to open all the presents and be on top form for games and starting the epic work of creating the Christmas dinner.
I used Panettone for this French toast as it combines all of the Christmas flavours in one beautifully soft and velvety bread. It toasts very well and is an affordable way to make a spectacular Christmas brunch. A large panettone at most supermarkets is about £5-£12 depending on flavour and brands. On top of the panettone you need eggs, milk, sugar and Christmas spices. I love how this recipe doesn’t need strange and weird ingredients. It makes it even more tempting when I think about what to make for breakfast.
To top off the Panettone, and add even more Christmas magic to the finished brunch, I have also whipped up a quick cranberry compote. It adds some juicy tartness to the sweet French toast and of course a festive flash of colour. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries and this can be made in advance to make Christmas Day a
lot easier.
A great variation of this recipe is to turn it into a dessert. It works for brunch butmserve with a glass of mulled wine, a scoop of ice cream and this dish is transformed into a pudding. We found this out by having a little leftover eggy mixture and we are now firm adopters of the French toast for dessert idea.
Cranberry Compote
This easy cranberry compote uses frozen cranberries and orange to bring a beautiful winter flavour. I make this ahead of the French toast so it’s ready to spoon on and enjoy as soon as the French toast is ready.
4 portions
Prep time 5
minutes
Cook time 10-15
minutes
ingredients & Method
Ingredients:
300g frozen or
fresh cranberries
1 orange
150g granulated
sugar
0.5 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Method:
Add the frozen cranberries to a saucepan along with the freshly grated zest and juice from one orange, sugar and vanilla extract.
Place the saucepan on a medium/low heat and let the cranberries soften. Stir regularly. The cranberry mixture will go through a wet stage and then the mix will start to thicken. At this point it is ready. It should take about 10 minutes.
Add a bowl and it is ready to serve.
If you are making it ahead you can place it in a sterilised jar and pop it in the fridge once it is cold.
Panettone French Toast
Serves 4
Prep time 15
minutes
Cooking time
5-10 minutes
INGREDIENTS & mETHOD
Ingredients:
1 large panettone
4 large eggs
220ml milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
0.5 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter for frying
Method:
In a large bowl whisk together the add the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and spices.
Slice the panettone into chunky slices. I aim for about a thumbs width per slice.
Heat up a non-stick frying on a medium heat. When it warm add about a teaspoon of butter and let it melt.
Dip the bread into the eggy/milk mix. Make sure both sides are covered and gently place it in to the frying pan. Cook for a minute or two on both sides until golden brown. Either plate it up and give it to the first eater to start enjoying or as it’s Christmas add it to warmed plate while you cook the remaining slices so you can serve the table with a tower of delicious festive French Toast.
Serve with the cranberry compote and a sprinkling of icing sugar if you want to make it really festive!
Extra decorations you can use is a sprig of holly (please remember these are just decorative), or even a dried orange slice of cinnamon stick if you want to make them really insta-ready.
For more recipes visit Sisley’s website www.sewwhite.com
