A Childhood Dream Come True: Fancy French Toast for The Masses

In my never-ending pursuit of a buck, I stumbled on a groovy gig: I get to follow recipes that are the creation of a highfalutin buncha folks in the northeast, and they toss me a little love.

I visited the Baltimore Culinary School expecting to run across mostly food that I would no sooner cook here in the Trailer Park than I would wax my kitchen floor. There were a few complicated recipes, but most were surprisingly simple. Really makes me want to write that book when I see a culinary arts school touting stuff that even I could do...

Anyway, there's a reason beyond simplicity for the choice I made. French toast was the first dish I recall making as a pre-teen, when my love for cooking first took hold. Even back then, around the same time my mama was teaching me how to cut up a whole chicken to fry, I remember thinking that French toast is cheating. I gotta say, I love cheating.

First, there's the name. Obviously, anything with "French" in the title is superior. Then there's the fact that it's not actually toast. I mean, I never toasted mine before this time. I bet you don't either. Next, this basic bread dish comes out tasting good enough to serve at a breakfast where you're trying to further impress that someone who came home with you last night, but it only takes ingredients you already had, and it's easy.

Total cheat.

Now, of course, there's a little twist to this school's version. And baby, it's a twist that sends me to Hallelujah Land. This recipe calls for Gran Marnier.
Oh, yeah. (Just mentioning that ingredient to the ladies after church the other day brought an "amen!" and a request to join us for brunch.)

Speaking of cooking breakfast for someone, I just can't say enough about the positive impact of collaboration in the kitchen. In this case, I was inspired to not only re-create the Baltimore Culinary Arts College's French toast recipe, but to go all out with my bad trailer trash self and do it the way we do it here in The Park. Mr. Collaborator may not have had the Real Deal Gran Marnier on hand, but he was pretty handy in turning up with Gran Wannabe.

So here you have the product of my childhood plus clever Internet marketing plus Mr. Collaborator's square-on idea, that being a little French Toast Duel.

Contestant Number One -- the recipe for French toast as presented by Chef Michael Wagner on BIC website:

Yield: 8 slices 
1 cup Half and Half
3 large eggs
2 tbsp. honey, warm
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
8 slices of stale bread
Splash Gran Marnier 
 
1. In mixing bowl, whisk together the Half and Half, eggs, honey, Gran Marnier, and salt.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Dip bread into custard mixture and soak for about 30 seconds on each side, then allow excess custard to drip off on a wire rack for several minutes prior to cooking.

4. Over medium heat melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet and cook soaked, drained slices until golden brown on each side.

5. Remove from heat and place on wire rack in the oven for 5 minutes.

6. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and/or whipped cream.

Variation

Once French toast is brown on both sides use two pieces to make a Monte Cristo.

Between the slices of browned French toast layer several slices of ham and Gruyere (Swiss) cheese and a little fruit jam or jelly. Place in oven until cheese melts and slice into triangles dusted with powdered sugar.

 
(And the best thing about following a recipe that calls for timing a repetitive activity in terms of seconds is the propensity for meditation.)

Next, per Mr. Collaborator's insistence, I made my version:

Trailer Trash Fancy French Toast (halved recipe)

1/2 cup skim milk

1 large egg

1 tbsp. honey, unwarmed

1/8 tsp. Kosher salt

3 pieces stale whole wheat bread (the heels with the mold trimmed off)

almost 1/4 cup Gran Wannabe

I followed all the other steps, including the weird "allow excess custard to drip" thing (I even timed the soaks, 30 seconds each side) and even the post-frypan baking step -- which was no easy feat, since I can't use both my oven and rangetop at the same time (must be time to fill that propane tank...). Plus, as you likely have figured out by now, I have no such thing as a non-stick anything in my kitchen, so scratch that spec, too, and get ready to use about half a stick of margarine to fry up the bread.

Here's the finished result, with the Lite version of the only French-toast-side that ever graced my family-of-origin's table.

That's right. I made and ate two different batches of French toast with liquor in them. My faithful Servant Boy and his pal were treated to Chef Michael's recipe. I inhaled the Trailer Park version all by myself. Here're my thoughts on the differences:

Mine:
Aside from looking a tad puffier from the stint in the oven, and the very slight whiff of liquor when I opened my mouth to shovel the French toast in, this was a whole lot like what I usually make when I'm trying to impress someone at the breakfast table. So I say forget that whole heat-up-the-kitchen step with the oven and use heaping teaspoons of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander instead of in addition to the alcohol. I'd also have to recommend holding the salt -- that quarter pound of margarine's got more than enough for this.

Chef Michael's:
I followed it to a T. Well, as close as I can without a non-stick skillet. I counted those soaking seconds reverently. I used real butter (but the kind with canola oil.) And I sprang for the real deal liquor. Warmed up the honey in the bottle sitting on the preheating oven. Made 8 slices.

The Chef's was better than mine. I can't say it any better than that.
Quotes from my two taste-testers:

"Nom!"
"Eat more!"
"It tastes like ice cream."

Well. There ya go.

(And btw, did you know that a splash of Gran Marnier in bottled OJ is virtually undetectable by flavor? Just a thought, as you're working on that impressive breakfast...)

Comments

[Malone]

I want this food now.

[TPK Bodhisattva, of course]

Sorry, Malone. All gone. But the recipe's totally follow-able.