French Toast

French Toast just screams “breakfast” to me. It wasn’t until I met my husband that I started to make French Toast with French baguette instead of using regular “American” sliced bread like most chain restaurants in the US. My French Toast is sooooo much better made with something other than thin sandwich bread which gets too soggy and falls apart.

French toast, or pain perdu, originated in France to help use day-old leftover baguettes. Eaten in the evening, the authentic “French” toast is more savory than sweet. It’s served with salt and pepper, and sometimes butter.

For breakfast, I like to make my French toast with denser breads such as French Baguette, Walnut Raisin Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, and Sourdough Baguette. Don’t use bread that has sesame seeds on top, or worse, rye bread — yuck.

Just whisk together two eggs with some milk and cream. Add a little sugar, vanilla, and maybe some spice. Soak some bread slices in the egg mixture.

Place the soaked bread on a hot buttered griddle and cook until brown on each side, puffed and custardy in the middle, and crispy on the outside.

How do I like my French Toast? Custard-like in the middle and crispy brown outside. Slathered with butter. And draped with maple syrup. Or dipped in apricot or strawberry jam. That’s how I like my French Toast!

And my absolute favorite French Toast is made with North East Seafood Kitchen‘s wonderful sweet bread that accompanies their scrumptious dinners. It’s dense and sweeter than most breads. Sprinkle in some cinnamon for an over-the-top breakfast entree!

Serve my French Toast with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert, with a little drizzle of honey or chocolate syrup!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

French Toast

Ingredients:

6 slices of French baguette, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c lowfat milk (can use fat-free or whole milk)
1/4 c heavy cream
1 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t cinnamon (optional)
3 T butter

Maple syrup or your favorite jam for topping
Additional butter for slathering

Method:

1. Assemble the baguette slices in a shallow glass baking dish.
2. Mix together the egg, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and optional cinnamon.
3. Pour the egg mixture over the baguette slices. Let sit for about 10 minutes, turning baguette slices once.
4. Heat a griddle to 375 degrees or heat a griddle pan over medium heat.
5. Melt the butter evenly around the griddle or pan.
6. Cook the baguette slices until browned on each side, and slightly puffy in the middle, between 5 and 8 minutes.
7. Serve!
Serves 2. Offer softened butter and maple syrup. Jams and jellies are great toppers also. My fave is apricot jam. Serve with a side of hot crispy bacon or sausage.

Variations: Use whole wheat baguette or a denser bread instead of the white flour breads. Leave out the optional cinnamon for a less spicy taste. Use egg nog instead of the milk and cream and add some extra freshly ground nutmeg for a holiday treat.

Get a stovetop griddle from Amazon.com:

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