I had some leftover ham from the Christmas period that I stuck in the freezer. Last year I made soup with the leftovers and well that's pretty boring! This time I decided to spice things up and make indulgent Monte Cristo sandwiches. If you're still going strong on your New Years Resolutions look away now. If you want to break them, keep reading!

A Monte Cristo Sandwich is the American version of the French Croque Monsieur. It uses french toast bread with ham, turkey and Swiss cheese. Served with powdered sugar and raspberry jam. Different geographical areas will have their own variations.


You can fill it with any kind of meat or cheese that you like. I've used ham and a dairy free Swiss cheese. I decided to fry mine because all that meat and cheese already isn't healthy so why not go all the way! These are incredibly rich and one sandwich is more than enough per person.

Monte Cristo I had in Tennessee this summer. I really wish I'd taken a picture of the one I had in Disneyland a few years ago.
-

Monte Cristo Sandwich

Ingredients

6 slices of white bread

6 slices Swiss cheese

8 slices ham

mayonnaise

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

raspberry jam for serving
rapeseed or canola oil for frying

1. Cut the crusts off the bread. Slather a little mayo on the first piece. Place 2 pieces of ham and one and a half slices of cheese on top. Place another slice of white bread on top of the cheese and repeat with the mayo and adding 2 slices of ham and one a half slices of cheese. Place a slice of bread on top.

2. Cut each sandwich diagonally and wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum (I left mine overnight). This will help seal the sandwich so it won't absorb the egg mixture when you're ready to fry.

3. Make the egg mixture by mixing the 3 eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Heat about a third of a bottle of canola or rapeseed oil into a large deep pan on medium heat. If you have a thermometer heat until it reaches deep fry.


4. Drench each sandwich half in the egg batter and carefully lower each into the oil with a spatula and fry for 2 minutes. Using your spatula turn over and fry for 2 more minues. Carefully remove from the pan using the spatula to a paper towel lined plate (do a test sandwich half first to test the oil).

4. Dust each sandwich with icing sugar and serve with a blob of raspberry jam.

Sarah over at Maison Cupcake has started a blogging challenge, "Forever Nigella". Each month there will be a new theme and anyone participating chooses a Nigella recipe from any of her books or her website. The first challenge is "Seasonal Sensations". Recipes that would suit either Christmas or New Year.

I made these for breakfast on Boxing Day. The apple cinnamon compote in the middle takes a little time but it is so worth it. Almost better than eating apple pie!

If you don't have an Ebelskiver pan don't worry. The filling for these would taste great on any kind of pancake or waffle. You could use it to jazz up some Ego's too! We ran out of maple syrup so I had mine with vanilla ice cream!

Ebelskivers are Danish pancakes that were traditionally filled with jam and served at holidays or celebrations. The ones of today are versatile and filled with sweet or savory items.

Vanilla Pancake Batter

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs separated

1 cup milk

2 tbs melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then stir in the egg yolks, milk, melted butter and vanilla with a wooden spoon. The batter will be lumpy.

2. In a small bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold in one third to lighten the batter and then fold in the rest.

Apple Cinnamon Filling

Ingredients

2-3 apples (I used Jazz) peeled, cored and chopped

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch of salt

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar about 3 minutes.

2. Add the apples and cook, stirring often, until the apples are tender about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Place the ebelskiver pan over medium heat. Brush each well with a little melted butter and place a tablespoon of batter in each.

4. Place a tablespoon of the filling in each well.

5. Place a tablespoon of batter on top of the filling.

6. After about 2 minutes using two wooden skewers flip the pancake over so the other side can cook. It will be a little liquid still but will fuse together when flipped.

7. Place in a warm oven until ready to serve. Dust with icing sugar.

I've been sick for nearly two weeks and didn't feel well enough to bake so I was way behind on my Christmas preparations. I felt well enough to squeeze in one batch of Christmas cupcakes on Christmas eve.

I bought Candy Cane Pop Rocks at Cyber Candy.

I made some vanilla frosting and then split it evenly between two bowls and made one half red and added some peppermint extract. I added vanilla extract to the other half.

Brownie Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

6 ounces dark chocolate

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tbs vanilla

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F/180 C. Line muffin tin with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Heat butter and chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat, add sugar and whisk until smooth.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla, and beat for 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the two thirds of the flour and mix until incorporated. Fold in the last third by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups filling each three quarters full. Bake 17-20 minutes until tops is set but still soft.

Taking a sneaky sample taste

Vanilla Peppermint Twist Frosting

Ingredients

1 pound icing sugar sifted

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup crisco

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 tsp red food coloring

1 pack Candy Cane Pop Rocks for decorating

1. Cream the butter and criso together until smooth and fluffy. Add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time beating on medium high speed.

2. Place half the frosting in another bowl and mix in the red food coloring and the peppermint extract. Mix the vanilla extract into the other bowl.

3. In your piping bag scoop the vanilla part in once side and the red part on the other side and when piped should create a nice two toned swirl. Sprinkle pop rocks on for decoration.

These are the last of the cupcakes from the sample sale. I think these might have been my favorite. Devil's Food Cake with cream cheese frosting topped with coconut and a white chocolate snowflake. I wasn't sure the chocolate and cream cheese would go together but it was amazing!

Devil's food cake is more light and airy than normal chocolate cake and it's main liquid is cocoa powder mixed with boiling water as opposed to milk. If this cake had it sister it would be a white cake.

Devil's Food Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup hot water

3 cups self rising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tbs plus 1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until mixture is cooled (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Fill each cup three quarters full and bake, rotating trays halfway through about 20 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup/230g unsalted butter at room temperature

2. To decorate spoon some frosting on top and then immediately dip in the bowl of coconut.

 

With a little imagination ol' Frankie becomes a nutcracker, a tombstone morphs into a gift tag, "BOO" turns into *avoiding saying this in a way that will encourage snickering*  HO, HO, HO, the bat...holly, a pumpkin...Santa, and my spider web...a wreath (it would also make a great snowflake, BTW).  

 To make these cookies, cut out your shapes, trim them just a little before baking, and voilà,

 New cookies from your tired old Halloween cutters!