Cooking with Bwog is back again. This week, Matt Powell is serving you a double helping of dessert–stuffed French toast and goat cheese cheesecake. Bwog’s mouth is already watering!

Stuffed French Toast

Let’s face it. In college, the most neglected meal is breakfast. We scramble out of the door with a piece of toast or a granola bar and quickly scarf it down before class (or during). If we’re lucky, we sit down for a bowl of cereal and maybe a cup of coffee.

Photo via flickr kim_scarborough

This dish is breakfast at its best, but it takes a good half hour to do it right. Maybe a lazy Saturday morning or Sunday would be the best time to have a relaxing breakfast… at least for once. Personally, I like to put all of the optional stuff on top of the French Toast. It almost turns breakfast into a dessert, and I love all things sweet.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf of challah bread, sliced into thick pieces
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ C of whole milk
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp. sugar
  • 4 tbsp. softened (almost melting) butter
  • 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  • Strawberry Cream Cheese
  • Assorted berries (optional)
  • 8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese (optional)
  • Real Maple Syrup (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat frying pan or griddle on the stove. Mix the butter and brown sugar together to make a paste. Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon, and sugar together in a shallow bowl.
  2. Spread brown sugar butter on the pan. Dip slices of challah bread in the egg mixture. (Do not dunk—you just want to get the bread a little wet, not soaking.) Cook bread in the pan, about 3-5 minutes per side (or until browned). Repeat with the rest of the slices.
  3. Assemble: Take one slice of French toast and smear Strawberry Cream Cheese on the top. Stack another slice of French toast on top of the first slice. Top with a dollop of mascarpone, berries, and syrup. Repeat for the rest of the French Toast.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Lavender Honey

Cheesecake can be a labor-intensive dessert to make, but with this variation, it’s easy as pie! Plus, lavender is available at the Farmer’s Market again!

Photo via flickr zingyyellow

Serves 12

Ingredients

  • 9 graham crackers, crushed
  • ¼ C brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 6 tsp. melted butter
  • 10 oz. goat cheese, softened
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 ½ C heavy cream
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • ½ C honey
  • 2 tbsp. dried lavender

Directions

  1. Combine crushed graham crackers with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until combined. In a tart pan with a removable bottom (or a pie pan), press graham cracker mixture in the bottom to form to crust. Chill for 30 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, beat cheese with lemon juice until creamy. Add cream and beat until firm. Add sugar and beat until slightly softened. Pour into crust and chill 5 hours.
  3. While cheesecake chills, bring the honey and the dried lavender to a boil in a saucepan. Take off the heat and cover. Let the honey-lavender steep for 3 hours. Then, bring honey to a boil again. While the honey is still hot, pour through a strainer to remove the lavender seeds.
  4. Drizzle the lavender honey on top of the cheesecake.

The Culinary Society Blog

Although the Culinary Society has had their own blog for a year, a recent spike in hits has spurred a revamping of our site. The site has a new layout and new features. Looking for new recipes? Reviews on local restaurants? New foods to try? Culinary Society events? Our blog has the food news for Columbia!

Culinary Events

At Columbia

Indian Desserts Study Break—The Culinary Society is partnering with Club Dimensions to promote the upcoming Guria Benefit. We will be making Chai Hot Chocolate, Kheer, and Shahi Tukra. The event will be held at 9 PM on Tuesday in the Lerner Ramp Lounge East.

In the City

Kings of Pastry—Until the 28th, this documentary film will be playing at the Film Forum. It follows Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer as he travels to France to participate in the famous Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a 3-day competition to determine the best pastry chef in the world.