Only ten days to go before Christmas is officially here. Am I excited? Yes, I am always excited when it comes to anything Christmas related. Even tho it hasn’t started to snow yet here in Amsterdam, but the chill in the air certainly brings about an almost electrical vibe. People in the neighbourhood have their trees up in the window; fairy lights have been strung up in their gardens; wreaths and garlands adorn front doors and the smell of burning log fires fill the night air.
Christmas at my house my grandparent’s usually ended late. The family would attend midnight Mass then we would all troop home for some festive supper and toast the arrival of Christmas with a nip of brandy or whiskey. Supper usually wound down at two in the morning, then it is time to gather round the tree (tipple of choice still firmly in hand) and we’d open our presents; it is after all Christmas Day, is it not? By the time we finish with the gifts and crawl into bed, it is almost dawn. Happy days indeed; I miss being a kid.
Several hours later I’d be roused from bed to the tunes of Bing Crosby blaring out from the stereo; it’s my uncle’s way of getting us all out of bed. Grandpa would be making his customary pot of coffee whilst smoking a cigarette out the kitchen window. The smell of coffee mixed with smoke always brings me back to that time … the memory is beautiful. For us kids, Mum would mix us a mug of Milo and we’d either have cold sandwiches from the night before with cold cuts of meat and Christmas cake. Sometimes grandpa would buy yummy fried treats from the market. Breakfast at my grandparents’ house was always a happy family occasion. So what’s Christmas breakfast like at your house?
I realize not everyone is keen on waking up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning to make breakfast for the whole family unless you’re the kid, who, in that case harbours ulterior motives. Presents. So I think this recipe works well for brunch. The filling is made the night before and left to chill in the fridge to firm up. Then the next day simply butter slices of raisin bread, fill them with the cream cheese filling, pop in a few squished blueberries and pop them in the toastie machine. Within minutes your house will fill with the most delightful aroma of toast and cinnamon … mmm!
Ingredients:
- One pkt cinnamon raisin toast
- 250 g cream cheese
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1½ tbsp vanilla sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp flour
- butter (for toast)
- cinnamon sugar for dusting
Use unsalted butter to butter the bread. This buttered side will sit on the hot surface of the toastie machine. On the non-buttered side, spoon on the cream cheese mixture. Place squashed blueberries on top and sandwich them with another slice of bread. I like to macerate my berries with about a teaspoon of sugar simply because I am not a fan of tart fruit.
Once your toasts are done, remove them and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar while they are still hot. If the toasts come out a little soggy to begin with then remedy it by placing a bunch of them on a wire rack and placing them in the oven at 180ºC just to crisp up the bread. Putting them in the oven at a lower temperature will also help keep them warm and toastie (haa!!) until all your guests are ready to eat.
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