"Don't Call It Fruitcake" Bites

A recipe adapted from NYT Cooking, Good Fruitcake by Amanda Hesser
To quote Amanda:

The ridicule that most fruitcakes face has everything to do with bad recipes, which skimp on fruit and load on the batter. In a good fruitcake the batter should barely be perceptible, acting merely as adhesive to bind the fruit and nuts. Broken down into its parts, a good fruitcake contains ingredients that most people love: plump dates, candied cherries, almond extract, pecans, walnuts and sugar. And when it comes out of the oven, it is showered in whiskey. This is by no means an inexpensive cake to make, and that is largely why it became a traditional gift. It is a cake that you wouldn't make for yourself. It is a treat.

Well, why NOT make it for ourselves? We could all use a treat these days.
My special challenge is that my big oven is broken. I'm baking in a toaster oven.
I halved Amanda's recipe and didn't bother with the last step (didn't have ingredients).

Mixing. I got that electric beater from my grandmother in 1976 or so.

I used an ice cream scoop to pack the dough mixture into the cups

Maybe a bit too crispy on top, next time I'll cover with foil at 30 minute marker.

"Don't Call It Fruitcake" Bites

YIELD 11-12 small "cupcake" size bites

INGREDIENTS

• 11-12 cupcake or souffle cups (depends upon size of muffin pan)
• 8oz pitted Medjool dates or 12oz dates coated with walnuts, chopped 
• 20oz total assortment of dried fruit, chopped  suggested: apricots, cherries, raisins, papaya, figs, prunes
• 1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 2 eggs
• 1 tb brandy
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup shelled pecans or walnuts

• White corn syrup
• ⅓ cup Armagnac, bourbon or whiskey

PREPARATION 

• Heat oven to 275 degrees. 
• Coarsely chop dried fruit, final measure (dates plus others) is 3 cups. 
• Combine fruit in a bowl with orange peel. 
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
• Sift this over fruit. With your hands, toss to coat. 

• In medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. 
• Beat in sugar, then almond extract. 
• Pour over fruit. 
• With wooden spoon, mix well. 
• Fold in nuts, mix until coated with batter. 

• Divide mixture into paper cups, packing the cups solidly - fill in open spaces. 
• Bake for about 65 minutes, until tops of bites look dry but not brown. 
• When bites are done, let stand for 5 minutes.
• While bites are still hot, brush lightly with corn syrup. 
• Let cool 30 minutes, then spoon Armagnac on tops. 

If not eating right away, wrap bites in plastic wrap. They will keep for two months in refrigerator. 

If storing, sprinkle with more Armagnac an hour before serving.

Mushroom Bread Pudding

I first found the concept for this recipe from Susan Spungen in the NY Times Cooking website, as a suggested side dish for Thanksgiving. I wasn't totally pleased with the results and searched for another version. Which I found. But I have no record of where I found it! Here it is on Chowhound! Thank you Google Chrome!

It's pretty much an exact copy of the Chowhound recipe, with a few minor tweaks.

Mushroom and Gruyere Bread Pudding

ingredients 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced (or small onion)
5 cloves garlic, minced
marjoram, rosemary
6 cups mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup brandy sherry, or mirin
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1½ cups heavy cream
2 eggs
1 cup grated gruyère or other cheese

1/4 cup chives
6 cups cubed bread: brioche, challah, anything soft

method

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.

• Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or PAM.

• In a large pan, add the butter over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the shallots and    cook for 2 minutes, until the shallots begin to soften.

• Add the garlic and herbs and stir for 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant.

• Add the mushrooms and brandy and cook for 6-8 minutes, until cooked down.
  Season with salt and pepper.
  Reserve the mushroom mixture off the heat.

• In a large bowl, Whisk the eggs and cream.

• Add the challah and stir until fully incorporated. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

• Add cheese and reserved mushrooms and stir until fully incorporated.

• Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and custard is baked through.
Let cool for at   least 15 minutes before serving.
Top with chives.

Linking up with Shelbee on the Edge