A Duck's Oven

A food blog with comforting, simple recipes.

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on the table

Let’s face it: getting dinner on the table after a long, busy day is no simple task. A Duck’s Oven is here to help you make meal time the easiest and most exciting part of your day.

Holidays

Holiday Cookies Done Easy

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It’s that time of year! Holiday baking. More importantly, cookie baking. Growing up, my mom would host a “cookie exchange” every year where we’d each bring a cookie, vote on a winner, and get to take home 1 cookie from every other participant.

Why don’t you do this anymore, mom?

I have to admit to not being much of a baker. There’s a precision about it that I’m too impatient for. Especially when it comes to decorating desserts. I’m much more concerned with taste than appearance.

Then I heard about embossed rolling pins.

Embossed rolling pins are exactly what they sound like: rolling pins with cut out shapes in them that you can easily transfer to baked goods simply by rolling them out.

I got the most adorable embossed rolling pin from Embossed Co. and I love the way it gave my simple sugar cookies an upgrade with minimal effort.

These rolling pins would make such a fun gift this holiday season, or just get it so you can have the prettiest cookies with the least effort!

The Apron Wish List

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We are officially, indisputably in Christmas season! That means it’s time for me to start window shopping for family, friends, and myself. And I really mean window shopping: sorry loved ones, Fiance and I just spent a year living in a foreign country without jobs which means you might get an awesome (albeit small) gift from South Africa but Christmas presents are off the table. Which means this is really a wish list. For everyone, not just me. I’ll make it up next year!

As demonstrated by this very blog you are on now, I love food. More than that, I love cooking food! Which means, like many other home cooks, I have a fairly substantial apron collection. I adore cute aprons. I can wear something that is supposed to get dirty and washes up well but also looks awesome while cooking for friends and family. Or just for myself, because that’s fun, too. I’m lucky enough to have a crazy talented mother who makes seriously incredible aprons and she’s been kind enough to even make me some, but I don’t have that gift, so I’m looking at buying a few aprons my friends and family (and let’s be real here- my own self, too) would love! Here’s what I came up with from across the internetz this year for my apron wish list. Just click on the photos to go to their links!

I love this apron cut from Flirty Aprons with the big bow! The only problem: I don’t know if I like it better in blue or purple. I think blue. But also purple.

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

I have always loved the aprons from Anthropologie. Like gawked and stared on a regular basis for years. I never buy them for myself, but the few I’ve gotten as gifts are treasures in my kitchen. Here are some they have now that I think are adorable:

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

That last one sent me on a bit of a polka dot spree, during which time I also stumbled upon this adorable frock from Lovely Aprons:

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

This number from Modcloth is a little more intricate than I’d usually go for, but I totally love it.

The Apron Wish List | A Duck's Oven. Some of my favorites this year!

 

What’s on your wish list this season?

 

 

 

 

Easter Goo

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You guys. I tried to make you a really fun Easter dessert. It was going to be a delicious marshmallow fudge topped with toasted coconut.

It did not turn out.


The marshmallows didn’t exactly melt the way they were supposed to and the fudge didn’t set up correctly. And by correctly I mean at all.

So it was dubbed “Easter Goo”. It was still sugary deliciousness, but nothing at all recognizable.

I even made delightful little meringues to go on top. Instead, I just had to eat those by themselves. Sigh.

Fiance’s reaction when seeing it out was “What the heck is this? It looks weird.” Yikes.

Everything worked out, though. I was forced to think on my feet and came up with Hot Cross Bun French Toast with Apple Compote, which I shared with you all last week.

I highly recommend this dish for Easter breakfast or brunch. It was ridiculously decadent, easy to make, and perfect for Easter.

Have a great holiday everyone, and happy baking! I hope yours goes more smoothly than mine did.

Hot Cross Bun French Toast with Apple Compote

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If you can believe it, I’d never had the Easter favorite, hot cross buns, before this.

What a way to introduce myself.

This french toast was truly amazing. Melty raisins and currants, plenty of cinnamon, perfect texture. Whenever Fiance’s first words when taking a bite of something I’ve made are “oh my gosh” followed by fervent shoving of his mouth, I know I’ve done well, and this did not fail.

This dish is perfect for Easter breakfast, or any other breakfast for that matter.

First, you’ll need some shiny Granny Smiths to make the compote. I ended up only using three. I love these apples. If I can’t get my hands on some Honeycrisp apples, Granny Smiths are what I reach for.

Peel ’em up. Or don’t. For texture’s sake, I wanted mine peeled. Then give ’em a good dice.

Like any good sauce or compote, this one starts with plenty of melted butter.

Followed by brown sugar, apple juice, and cinnamon. Take a deep breath and enjoy it in all it’s cinnamony butteriness. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Then add the apples. Let it simmer for a good long while until the apples are soft and the liquid is a little thicker.

Next, I made bacon for the following reasons:

1. Pork and apples are one of the best combinations of ever.
2. French toast is best cooked in bacon fat. Thank you for teaching me this at a young age, Mom.
3. Bacon is essential to every breakfast. And everything.

Alright, alright. I did not make my hot cross buns. Typically, if I’m going to turn something into something else, I’m not going to take the time to make that first something myself. That takes far too much effort. Not to mention, the grocery store I shop at has a great bakery and an abundance of these rolls right now.

Then I sliced the buns in half.

They got dipped into whisked eggs and milk. I wouldn’t soak the hot cross buns in the mixture for long, they don’t hold up so well.

Then fried for a couple of minutes on each side in that glorious bacon fat.

Once all the buns are have been french-toastified, top them with plenty of apple compote, and, if you’re feeling especially indulgent, a little more butter.

Oh, and don’t forget that bacon. The bacon is very important.

Make this quickly, while the grocery stores are still full of hot cross buns! Or be super impressive and make your own hot cross buns.

Hot Cross Bun French Toast with Apple Compote
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 3-4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup apple juice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 8 hot cross buns
  • 5 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Bacon fat or canola oil for frying
Instructions
  1. To make the compote, melt the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, apple juice, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the apples and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the apples are softer and the liquid is a little thicker.
  2. For the french toast, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Slice the hot cross buns in half. Heat a pan over medium heat and add bacon fat or canola oil for frying. Once hot, dip the hot cross buns in the whisked egg mixture then fry for a couple of minutes on each side, until golden brown.
  3. To serve, top french toast with apple compote and butter, if desired.

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