Steel-Cut Oats and Vanilla Honey

I thought I'd share a bit about my latest breakfast obsession; steel-cut oats. Usually I just stick to yogurt, but since fall has kicked in I've been craving something warm and comforting in the morning. Oatmeal fits perfectly and steel-cut is even better, it's nutty and chewy, but not tough. While it does take ages to cook, it reheats well in the microwave, so I make a big pot on sunday for quick weekday breakfasts.

The fun part is topping it- I favor dried fruits and nuts, like the cherries, pistachios, almonds, and pecans shown. Blueberries, cranberries, and hazelnuts are also delicious. I always top it with honey as well. Lately I found myself thinking about how to incorporate some vanilla in as well. So, I scraped out a vanilla bean and stirred it into a half cup of honey. I can't believe I never thought to do it before, it's so simple, but so unbelievably good. It's the new staple in my pantry, I can't wait to try it over ice cream.

Apple and Rosemary Galette

It's once again fall and I seem to have a lot of apples around. After eating so many of them out of hand, I capitulated and decided to bake with them (as I wanted to do all along). 

There's something about rosemary in sweets which I can't resist and I thought the flavor would be a good complement to the apples. I also wanted an excuse to recreate the Rosemary Ginger Pie crust that I came up with for last year's TINY WHITE PEACH & BLUEBERRY GALETTES WITH ROSEMARY AND GINGER. The secret is to let your dough chill with a few pieces of Rosemary in the middle- it infuses the flavor into the crust- and it's delicious! A perfect treat for an autumn afternoon, it goes nicely with a cup of tea. I'm also sharing some recent photos, details of our family kitchen- no real story, just a few things that caught my eye and begged to be photographed. Enjoy!

APPLE AND ROSEMARY GALETTE

Filling:

4-5 medium sized apples
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp chopped Rosemary

Dough:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of sea salt 

1 stick of butter

1/3 cup ice water

handful of fresh rosemary

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp sugar

For the crust: Mix together the flour, sugar, and a pinch of sea salt in a mixer. Add the butter, and slowly add the ice water; mix until the dough comes together. Form into a ball, then separate and push the fresh rosemary into the center. Refrigerate and chill for at least 90 minutes.

For the filling: Slice the apples, you can peel them if you wish, but it's not necessary. Place them in a large bowl. Combine the sugar, zest, and rosemary in a small bowl, then spoon the sugar over the apples, and toss to coat. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and discard the rosemary from the center. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Heap the apples in the center, but leave at least 2-inches free around the edges. Fold the dough up over the apples and press together into a pie shape. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cool before serving.

Oregon Love: Beer, Bears & Blackberries

I travel as much as possible and I tend to fall in love with the majority of places I visit. Oregon was no exception, somewhere between the cool, artsy vibe in Portland, the dramatic pacific coast, and the vistas from the Rogue river I fell for it hard. Sadly my affair only lasted a week before I had to return to real life. But of course I wanted to commemorate it in the kitchen, and chocolate-stout cupcakes with ganache and blackberries seemed appropriate. 

Everyone knows that Oregon has amazing craft beers and I certainly sampled a number of them. It turns out that stout beer is quite good in baking especially with strong flavors like chocolate. Blackberries seem to grow everywhere in western Oregon. It was fabulous to pick them for breakfast every morning. The bears seemed to have the same idea- and we saw quite a few of them on the hunt for the sweet, perfectly ripe berries. Lucky for us there were enough berries that we didn't need to compete with the bears for them. I hope to make it back to Oregon sooner than later, but in the meantime I'll just have a cupcake..

CHOCOLATE-STOUT CUPCAKES WITH BLACKBERRIES
 

Cupcakes
2 cups stout beer
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

Ganache
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 2 muffin tins. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin tins. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For the ganache: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until ganache is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
Cover the cupcakes with ganache and top with blackberries.

This recipe is based off of Epicurious's Chocolate Stout Cake recipe.

Homemade Granola Bars with Chocolate, Cranberries, and Pistachios

I had never made granola bars before today, but these are definitely going to become a regular in our house. I'm about to head off to Oregon for a white-water rafting trip and I figured homemade granola bars would be the perfect snack to bring along. However they're so delicious, I'll be surprised if they make it past the airplane door. Packed with cranberries, pistachios, and chocolate, they're downright addictive as well as filling. I think they are going to become my go-to weekday breakfast. They're easy to make and you can swap the cranberries and pistachios out for your favorite fruit and nut combinations.

CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY PISTACHIO GRANOLA BARS

Yields 24 bars

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pistachios
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped chocolate (milk or dark)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 13" x 9" baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Stir the oats, pistachios, cranberries, and chocolate together in a large bowl and set aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and honey together. Once the mixture becomes light and fluffy, beat the egg and vanilla into it.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Slowly beat the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until they're just combined. Then stir in the oat mixture slowly and thoroughly.

Spread the batter evenly throughout the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and then slice into bars.

Fresh Apricot Muffins

I've always been a huge fan of dried apricots, but I've overlooked the fresh ones until recently. While they're lovely on their own, or in a fruit salad, I really wanted to take a stab at baking with them and muffins seemed like the perfect vehicle. I wasn't disappointed- the muffins themselves aren't too sweet and the unique sweet-tart tanginess of the apricots shines through. 

I'm not a fan of big cakey muffins- I always use greek yogurt in the batter which makes the more moist and fluffy than dense- something to with the lactic acid in the yogurt tenderizing the flour. It's better for you and (I think) it tastes better too.

The muffins themselves are quite small compared to the average American muffin, so you may want to consider making a double batch- I wish I had!

FRESH APRICOT MUFFINS

Makes 12 small muffins

1 vanilla bean

1 lemon

1 cup chopped fresh apricot + 1 fresh apricot sliced into 12 thin strips

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg

1 cup greek yogurt
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp honey

Preheat your oven to 350F and butter a 12 cup muffin tin. 

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and zest the lemon, then add both to the chopped apricots, along with 1 tbsp of sugar; stir together; set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg into a large bowl.

In another bowl combine beaten eggs with the yogurt, the melted butter and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, beating slowly, and then add the chopped apricot stirring just til everything is combined. Spoon batter into the muffin pan and  then top with the sliced apricots. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until a fork inserted in the top comes out clean.

Let cool for a few minutes and.. yum!

Double Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Last week I spent a few hours doing research on homemade ice cream sandwiches for an upcoming book, and after a while I had an unbearable craving for them. So this weekend I whipped up some homemade peanut butter chocolate chunk ice cream and double chocolate cookies, stuck them together and voila- craving satisfied. The end result was ridiculously decadent- I could barely finish one. These would be perfect for one of those nights when you skip dinner in favor of dessert, which sometimes just has to be done.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK ICE CREAM

1 cup peanut butter (not natural)
3/4 cup sugar
11/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
11/2 teaspoons vanilla

pinch of sea salt
1 cup chopped chocolate (from your favorite chocolate bar)

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the peanut butter and sugar together until smooth, then add the milk and mix on low speed until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
Pour the mixture into freezer bowl of your ice cream maker, and let it mix until it's thick, about 30 minutes. Just before it's finished, add the chocolate through the top and let mix in completely. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, and freeze.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat flour but all purpose will do)

2/3 cup good quality cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup chopped chocolate (from your favorite chocolate bar)

Preheat your oven to 375. 

In a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar together until they are creamy, then add the egg and the vanilla and keep mixing until everything is combined. At that point add your dry ingredients; once the mixture starts to look like batter add the chopped chocolate.

Drop 2" rounds onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. When done, let cool on a rack.

Once your cookies are thoroughly cooled you can start to assemble your ice cream sandwiches. The yield is 6-8 sandwiches and you'll still have ice cream left over.

Basil Ginger Lemonade

Hello again- I know it's been a while, but I hope this amazing lemonade will make up for it! Last month I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks in Panama and what an amazing place it was—beauty everywhere, and some seriously friendly locals. Although the food is very good and very fresh, we didn't eat a whole lot. A plate of eggs in the morning, as many pineapple and banana batidos as it took to get through the sweltering heat, and if we were lucky (and had the energy) we would finish the day with fish tacos. My culinary highpoint was the lemonade that we found in a few expat cafes. Seems a bit strange- but it was no ordinary lemonade; fresh squeezed lemons mixed with things like basil, ginger, coconut, and rosewater. Seeing as it was too hot to eat much (as it is right now), these exotic lemonades were the perfect remedy.

Upon my return I recreated a basil-ginger combination and was not disappointed. Try it, it's easy, nutritious and will keep you cool and happy.

BASIL GINGER LEMONADE

makes 1 pitcher

6-8 lemons

6 cups cold water

2 large bunches of basil

Ginger Simple Syrup 

Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

fresh ginger, peeled and cut into three 1" pieces

Make the simple syrup first; put the sugar into a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, add the ginger, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Take off heat and cool to room temperature and store in a jar in the refrigerator. 

Once the simple syrup is cool, remove the stems from the basil and puree the leaves in a food processor. Juice your lemons, strain out any seeds and combine the juice with the basil and cold water in a large pitcher. Add the simple syrup to taste. Enjoy!

Honey-Lemon Ricotta Cups

This came about on one of those nights when I was too tired and too busy to cook, but still wanted something sweet and comforting. Inspired by a cannoli craving, I mixed some honey and lemon zest into ricotta cheese and sprinkled hazelnuts and berries on top. The result; so good and better yet, so very quick and easy. For a more decadent version, you can add chopped dark chocolate. Substitute berries as you wish... or swap the hazelnuts, for almonds, pecans, pistachios, or whatever you have on hand. Might as well be creative because it's such an easy thing to 'make.'

HONEY-LEMON RICOTTA CUPS
Makes 2 servings
 

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

3 tbsp honey (more or less to taste)

Zest of 2 lemons
 

3/4 cup mixed blueberries and raspberries

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
 

In a medium sized bowl, stir the honey and lemon zest into the ricotta mixture. Transfer into 2 cups or jars and top with the nuts and berries.

Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam with Earl Grey from Food in Jars

I had never seriously considered making my own jam before met Marissa McClellan author of the wonderful blog Food in Jars, and upcoming cookbook from Running Press with the same name. I designed the book, and it was one of those projects that really made an impact on me. After reading the manuscript it was impossible not to want to attempt some sort of preserving. When we did the photo shoot I couldn't resist sampling a bit of every jam, jelly, marmalade, pickles, and all of the other amazingly good stuff in the book. And after watching Marissa do a demo on how to make her Strawberry-Vanilla Jam, I was pretty sure I could do it too. 
So, it being springtime, what better choice than rhubarb? There are two rhubarb jam recipes in the book, and one for jelly. I went with the Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam with Earl Grey because I can never get enough vanilla, and it's so, so good. It was fairly easy to make and now that I've made it, I can't imagine not making more of it. Try it and see! For more resources, check out www.foodinjars.com.

VANILLA-RHUBARB JAM WITH EARL GREY from Food in Jars

Makes 4 (1-pint/500 ml) jars

8 cups chopped rhubarb
(about 3 pounds/1.4 kg rhubarb stalks)
4 cups/800 g granulated sugar
1 cup/240 ml double-strength brewed Earl Grey tea
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch salt
1 (3-ounce/85 ml) packet liquid pectin

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars
according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan,
cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
In a large, nonreactive pot, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and tea and bring
to a boil. Add the vanilla bean and seeds, lemon juice, and salt to the pot
and let the mixture bubble gently over medium-high heat for 15 to 20
minutes, stirring regularly, until the rhubarb has broken down.
Add the packet of liquid pectin and increase the heat to high, to bring the
jam up to a rolling boil. Let the jam boil vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes,
stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe
the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for
10 minutes.

DIY Vanilla Extract & Rose Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

I find myself constantly buying vanilla extract- those tiny, expensive bottles go so quickly and it seems I'm always down to the last drops at the worst possible moment.  So I figured why not make my own? It does take ages, but it's easy as pie and cost-effective in the long run. All you do is stick 2 vanilla beans in a pint jar and fill it with vodka. Then you wait for a few months, shaking it every week or so. I'll put more photos up once it's further along and has developed some color. It'll be useful for things like the sandwich cookies above. The cookies are terribly delicious and addictive; buttery and sweet and filled with rose-raspberry buttercream- need I say more?

DIY VANILLA EXTRACT

2 vanilla beans

1 pint of vodka

Split each vanilla bean in half with a sharp knife but leave a tiny bit connected at the end. Put the vanilla beans in a mason jar and fill with the vodka; then just shake every once in a while and store in a dark, cool place for 3 months or longer. It's supposed to last for years.  

ROSE RASPBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES 

COOKIES 
1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

 

ROSE RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM 
3 cups confectioners sugar

1/3 cup butter softened

1/4 cup raspberries

1 teaspoon rose flower water

1 tablespoon milk 

Combine the butter, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and continue to mix well. Then add flour and baking powder and beat until well mixed. Divide dough into three balls, wrap each in plastic food wrap and flatten slightly. Refrigerate them until they're firm about 2 to 3 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time until it's approximately 1/4-inch thick. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated! Make cutouts with 3-inch cookie cutters, or the rim of a glass works well if you don't have the right cookie cutter. Place your circles about an inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Combine the confectioners sugar, butter, raspberries, rose flower water and milk in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until it's totally smooth and creamy. Frost one half of the cooled cookies and place the remaining unfrosted ones on top. 

 

Try not to eat too many. Don't say you weren't warned. 

Whole-Wheat, Pecan & Sesame Waffles

A generous friend recently loaned me her waffle iron and I've become a bit obsessed with coming up with the perfect waffle. Since I don't want everything I put on this blog (or in my body) to fall into the dessert category, I played with healthier ingredients. I swapped the white flour for whole wheat, used grapeseed oil instead of butter, added toasted pecans and sesame seeds, and some almond flour to make it more nutritious and filling. 

They're divine when topped with some fresh fruit and drizzled with honey, perfect for sunday brunch!

 

WHOLE-WHEAT, PECAN & SESAME WAFFLES

two eggs
one and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup almond flour
one and 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
one tablespoon sugar
four teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
one teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1 orange

one cup toasted pecans broken into small pieces

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Makes 6 waffles

Preheat your waffle iron; beat the eggs in large bowl, add the flour, almond flour, milk, grapeseed oil, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and orange zest, beating the mixture until smooth. Then fold in the nuts and sesame seeds.
When the waffle iron is ready, pour the mix onto the griddle and let them cook until golden brown. Serve hot, and preferably with honey and fruit.

My Favorite Brownie

Everyone has their own opinion on what constitutes the perfect brownie. This one is my favorite. it's no frills with a texture perfectly balanced between cakey and fudgy and is buttery and chocolatey and oh-so good. 

 

3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate

9 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour

3 tbsp baking cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter an 8-inch square baking dish.  

Melt the butter and chocolate together, stir and let cool for a few minutes.

Beat vanilla, eggs, sugar, and salt, then add chocolate/butter mixture and beat until combined. Add flour and cocoa and salt, mix well. Bake 35-40 mins and let cool. Enjoy!

 

 

Some Valentine's Love

 

Happy early Valentine's day... I haven't had much of a chance to cook anything this weekend, I've been buried in far less fun endeavors. Which is why it was so great when my dear friend Leyra showed up at my door with a box of her homemade cupcakes. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots before giving into temptation. Topping them off with Trader Joe's gummy hearts was pure genius. 

Here's hoping everyone gets all the love and sugar they deserve this week!

Food for the Winter Blues

CITRUSY OLIVE OIL CAKE

It's time for the winter doldrums again. Blah January- my least favorite month, February's generally not much better.. I'm counting the days until April as I do every year. In the meantime I'm trying to stay positive -and I think the right foods can help. For me, it's about finding a balance between the comforting carbs I crave and trying to eat more healthfully. This Citrusy Olive Oil Cake is actually a lot healthier than it tastes. The combination of blood orange, tangerine, and Meyer lemon juices and zest gives the cake a lovely perfume and taste. Plus, no butter, no oil- it's practically health food.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Zest 2 blood oranges, one tangerine, and one Meyer lemon and stir the zest into 1 cup of sugar in a medium-large bowl. After that, juice one of the blood oranges, the tangerine, and lemon in another bowl. Stir 1/2 cup of plain 2% greek yogurt into the juice and then whisk that into the sugar. Then add 3 beaten eggs, one tablespoon vanilla, and 2/3 cup of olive oil. In a separate bowl stir together 1+3/4 cup whole wheat white flour, 1+1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in a buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

 

CARROT GINGER SOUP
This soup makes me so happy- it's actually healthy but that doesn't stop it from being totally delicious. The key to really developing the flavors is to roast the carrots and Ginger just until the ginger caramelizes, it adds a sweet and spicy dimension to the soup that makes it irresistible. I could eat a bowl of this bright orange soup every day, it's that good.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean 1lb carrots, then chop 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, and one tablespoon fresh rosemary. Combine the ginger and rosemary in a small bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup of honey, salt and pepper, then toss with the carrots on a baking tray. Roast just till the ginger is caramelized, about 25 minutes. Remove the tray from oven and let cool. Once cool, puree the carrots in a food processor and then put them in a soup pot over medium heat. Immediately stir in 6 cups vegetable broth and 1/2 cup of milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A Salad for My Sins

 

This week I am repenting my bread pudding sins and trying not to bake. I made it through the weekend, but struggled. Instead of creaming butter and measuring sugar, I viciously reamed half a bag of tangerines and assembled salads. I had some lovely Bosc pears that were have been perfect for baking, so I somewhat reluctantly roasted them instead and paired them with some prosciutto and raspberries. In the end, my virtuousness was actually pretty tasty, but I'm sill not sure how long it will last.

 

ROASTED PEAR, PROSCIUTTO, AND RASPBERRY SALAD

Makes 4 good sized salads

Take 2 bosc pears and cut in half vertically, scoop out the centers- a melon baller works best for this. Place them in an oven-safe dish and drizzle with just a tiny bit of melted butter and roast for about 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven. In the meantime, divide one bag of salad greens amongst 4 plates and top each with a handful of raspberries and thin strips of proscuitto. When the pears are finished and cooled, slice them thinly and add them to the salad, top off with a handful of toasted almond slices and freshly ground pepper. Dress with a vinaigrette of chopped shallots, white wine vinegar and olive oil or whatever you like.

TANGERINE JUICE
Tangerines- I love them, but I can't stand the seeds- so I used up half a big bag of them making just one glass of juice. It's not the type of thing I would normally post about, but I found it kind of incredible just how many tangerines were needed. I kept squeezing and reaming and appreciated the resulting pile of carnage enough to get the camera out. Perhaps looking at this will give you a vitamin C boost.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Usually today would be a dessert-free day, but since we were too full of champagne and cheese to get around to making, let alone eating dessert last night, I'm having it today. 

Besides the chocolate really needed to be used up. 

So here's to starting 2012 off right- with a chocolate whisky bread pudding.

CHOCOLATE WHISKY BREAD PUDDING:

Serves 2, but can be doubled

Preheat the oven to 350

Slice half of a day old baguette into half-inch slices, and then slice them again lengthwise.

Then combine 3/4 cup 2% milk with 3/4 cup half and half in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar and stir until it dissolves- cook until this comes to a boil, then remove from heat immediately and stir in 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts into the mixture. 

Beat one egg and 1 tsp vanilla in a separate bowl, once they are combined, slowly add them to the milk mixture. Once that's combined, add the bread to soak in the mixture for about 10 minutes before transferring to a small, oven-safe casserole dish. Arrange the bread in the dish, sprinkle with demerra sugar and a couple tablespoons of whisky. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool.