Pain Perdu...

One of the great breakfast comfort foods is French toast… and probably like me, many of you grew up on commercial white bread dipped in egg and milk… but it is so much more than that…

The origins of ‘French’ toast are vast and varied… some say that the dish comes from France…  others say that a tavern in Albany, New York invented the dish… and in fact the French do have a dish they call pain perdu. But pain perdu (meaning lost bread) like many similar dishes around the world like this is typically made with stale bread. The thought being that if not used the bread would otherwise be ‘lost’. I have also heard it said that the ‘perdu’ refers to the bread being ‘lost’ in the custard like egg dip…

The recipe below is what I consider to be a straight forward classic (as far as my childhood and gastronomic memories are concerned)… but you can substitute other breads in place of a good baguette as well. Challah is used in Jewish cooking and the eggy bread is wonderful… the Italians use panettone with is rich and decadent (a really good Christmas morning splurge)… denser breads like pumpkin or zucchini bread can be used, but the dip does not penetrate as well… so it is not as custardy. Brioche and Hawaiian bread are lovely as well.

This morning I used a simple white bâtard (shorter and thicker than a baguette) from my local market. I sliced is last night and left it in a cold oven on a cookie sheet to dry out (making my own stale bread). If you like a really custard-like center, an inch thick is perfect. Some prefer a drier center… if so go with a thicker slice.

*it should be noted with regret that a pain was perdued in the

making of this blog post... our dog has the speed and tracking

ability of a raptor on the hunt*

What you will need:

(8) slices of white Italian or French bread – approximately 1 inch thick

(3) large eggs

(3/4) cup half and half

(1/4) cup milk (skim, whole… take your pick… although using skim milk with half and half to me seems a lot like having a Diet Coke with a Double Whopper with cheese

(1) Tbs. honey (warmed) or brown sugar (I like brown sugar)

(1/2) tsp cinnamon* (optional) – I like using pumpkin pie spice

a pinch of salt

butter for frying

You can make you custard mix (eggs, half and half, milk, salt, sugar, spices) the night before as well… and refrigerated until use. As I mentioned, I like my French toast nice and custardy in the center… and I find that a bread that has any kind of crust that requires you to rip it with your teeth when eating it fresh needs a longer soak… the best way is to place the bread slices is in a rectangular cake pan, then pour the egg mixture over it, and let it rest for about 15-20 minutes, flipping once. Place on a rack for a few moments to rest.

Cooking French toast, ike pancakes, requires a good handle on your heat. Melt the butter in a frying pan or griddle over a medium heat… place slices of dipped bread in the pan. Resist the need to play with it for about 2 minutes, then flip. If you did well you should have a nice golden crust. If your crust is a chocolate brown – turn down your heat. Cook second side for another 2 minutes.

Serving suggestions: powdered sugar and fresh berries, warm berry compote, maple syrup, honey butter. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.