Holiday Recipes from the Deans
2007
Nina Thomas' Cape May French Toast
1 loaf French bread (day old)1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 cup milk
1/4 cup half & half
In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugars until blended. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking pan and spread evenly. Slice bread in 3/4-inch slices and arrange in pan over sugar mixture. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over bread. Let set overnight in refrigerator. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle top with sugar.
Nina Thomas, Vermont Law School's registrar, has been here since 1976. Nina discovered this recipe at a beautiful bed and breakfast in Amish country, and it has been a family favorite ever since.
2006
Dean Shirley Jefferson's Fried Chicken
4 chicken legs4 chicken thighs
4 chicken wings
Lawry's Seasoning (available at most grocery stores or at www.lawrys.com)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp pepper
Crisco oil
Wash chicken legs, thighs and wings thoroughly (avoid breasts; they're too dry). Mix salt, pepper and Lawry's seasoning in a large paper bag. Beat milk and egg together in a large mixing bowl. Dip chicken in mixture, then place in bag with seasoning mixture and shake. Put a deep iron skillet on stove with burner set to high. After 5 minutes (or when skillet is hot), add Crisco until it forms a deep pool. Fry chicken for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness.
2005
Dean Geoffrey Shields' Apricot Soufflé
2/3 cup dried California apricots2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
8 egg whites
Butter and sugar for coating soufflé dishes
1 cup sour cream and 3 Tbsp powdered sugar for sauce
Prepare 4 individual soufflé cups by coating with butter and sprinkling with sugar. Soak apricots for two hours, then simmer for 15 minutes in water to cover. Drain apricots and purée with 2/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Preheat oven to 400º. Beat 8 egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt until stiff. Fold purée into egg whites and spoon mixture into soufflé cups. Place dishes into a bain-marie. (Call me if you don't know what this is.) Bake at 400º for 25 minutes or until tops of soufflés turn golden. (Discipline yourself not to open the oven door before the soufflés are done.) Meanwhile, whisk 3 Tbsp powdered sugar into the sour cream. Remove soufflés, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and bring to the table with a flourish. Don't drop the dishes! (I have.) To serve, crack each soufflé crust with a spoon and dollop it with the sweetened sour cream.