There will be a lot of French toast made this Sunday, The American variation of the famed French pain perdu is a Mothers' Day classic right up there with macaroni necklaces and handmade cards. yet imagine doing it just a tad differently for a truly memorable holiday.
Regular contributor Melissa Clark gives her spin on it in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.French toast has been around, way before the French used stale bread to create a tasty dish.The Roman Apicius had a recipe for it using wine and honey to an Anglo-Norman cousin which was served with almond milk.There is also a Spanish version called torrejas made with cinnamon and syrup. There are modern variations that include peanut butter and condensed milk, French toast with a streusel topping and even ones with pears, pumpkin spice and pecans.If you want the perfect French toast make sure you use stale or dehydrated bread .Fresh bread is too spongy and it would dilute the egg mixture with moisture.Most recipes call for frying the bread but why go to all that trouble. Baking it works better.it may not give you that crispy buttery crust but it will become crunchy and caramelized with a sprinkling of sugar.
Her two recipes are baked French toast with different flavors. Those who love the earthy mellowness of brown sugar should try her sheet pan version. What bread should you use. Anything that strikes your fancy.It could be croissants for a light airy bite or challah for rich one. Regular white bread or pain de mie can also be used. The first recipe is soaking the bread in the egg ,milk and cinnamon mixture on the pan itself.The bread should be allowed to soak from anywhere from four hours to overnight. It's then sprinkling the brown sugar on the sheet pan and over the slices,Bake in a 375 degree Farenheit oven for twetty-five to thirty-five minutes.The tops should be golden brown and puffy. The other recipe calls for heavy cream lemon and Gran Marnier to create a lemon souffle type recipe .Whole milk and heavy cream are also added. lemon sugar is first created by mixing lemon zest into white sugar. A dash of nutmeg is also added for flavor The egg ,cream and dairy are added to this.It's poured over slices of toasted challah and baked ina buttered casserole dish. Set in a 375 degree oven for twenty to thirty minutes.
These are great recipes for Mother's Day.It's nice to have a classic dish but even nicer when it's updated. Try for a great Mother's day brunch or even a light supper.
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