November 28, 2011

French Toast Casserole

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French Toast Casserole

French Toast Casserole

November 28: National French Toast Day

When company comes and stays overnight, we feed them French toast casserole for breakfast or brunch. It is faster to make than traditional French toast because the bread soaks up the batter the night before and is baked in the same pan the next morning, leaving us time to talk with guests or make extra bacon and eggs for everyone while the casserole is cooking in the oven. It also feeds a a crowd of visitors and is considered more budget-friendly than taking everyone out to eat. For a twist on traditional French toast, cook it casserole-style for National French Toast Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

For the French toast

  • 1 loaf (1 pound) French bread
  • 8 eggs
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Generously grease a 13×9-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Cut the French bread into 1-inch cubes. Scatter evenly in the pan.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Mix in the milk, sugar, salt and vanilla.

French Toast Casserole

Pour over the cubed bread, allowing the pieces to soak up the milk batter. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, 30 minutes before baking, remove from the refrigerator.

French Toast Casserole

Cut the cold butter in small pieces and place them on top of the French toast. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the French toast. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. The casserole will puff up slightly. When done, remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve with syrup.

French Toast Casserole

Notes

 

October 15, 2011

Pan de Santa Teresa

Posted by HI Cookery under 10 October | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Pan de Santa Teresa

(St. Teresa’s Bread)

Pan de Santa Teresa

October 15: Feast Day of St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus

We had blogged previously about pain perdu, a French toast-style bread associated with St. Anthony of Padua. Pan de Santa Teresa is very similar and it is linked to St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus. Making her bread requires two separate steps of flavoring the milk then dipping it in egg, instead of coating the slices into one mixed batter, followed by frying. The subtle yet sweet citrusy-cinnamon taste of St. Teresa’s bread is a nice change to regular French toast. Prepare Pan de Santa Teresa as a feast day food in honor of St. Teresa of Ávila/Jesus.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking With the Saints by Ernst Scheugraf)

Ingredients

  • 8-10 French bread slices (3/4-inch thick)
  • 2 cups milk (we used Lactaid brand)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, granulate white
  • 1 lemon peel piece
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • olive oil
  • cinnamon sugar

Directions

Mix the milk with the sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Heat over the stove top or in the microwave on medium heat. Simmer for about five minutes until the lemon and cinnamon flavors are well-infused. Let cool. Strain over the bread slices in a large pan, allowing them to soak up the flavored milk. Beat the eggs with the salt in a shallow dish.

Pan de Santa Teresa

Coat the bread on both sides. Fry in olive oil until brown and crusty on both sides. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Pan de Santa Teresa

Notes

  • Day-old French or Italian loaves are preferred for this recipe as regular white bread slices are too soft and become mushy when soaked in the flavored milk and eggs.
 

June 13, 2011

Pain Perdu (French Toast)

Posted by HI Cookery under 06 June | Tags: , , , , |
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Pain Perdu (French Toast)

Pain Perdu French Toast 

June 13: Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua

Islander is not really sure how St. Anthony of Padua became her patron saint. She jokes that it is probably because she lost her mind! When traditional Catholics lose something, the Portuguese-born Franciscan saint, patron of lost articles, is often invoked with a simple rhyme:

 “Dear Saint Anthony, please come ‘round.

Something is lost and must be found.”

We found an appropriate dish to prepare on his feast day: pain perdu (“lost bread”). According to Wikipedia, “it is called ‘lost bread’ because it is a way to reclaim stale or ‘lost’  bread. The hard bread is softened by dipping in a mixture of milk and eggs, and then fried. The bread is sliced on a bias and dipped into a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. The slices are pan-fried in butter and traditionally served dusted with powdered sugar and jam on the side. Alternatively, it may be served with syrup.”

Pain perdu is associated with St. Anthony and is popularly known as French toast. We eat it for breakfast but the French have it for dessert. Below is a simple recipe for French toast that we have used for many years. Coincidentally, its origins have been lost!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 10-12 slices of stale French bread or baguette, ½ – 1-inch thick
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • dash of cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • butter
  • powdered sugar

Directions

In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended. Dip into this mixture the slices of bread on both sides.

Pain Perdu French Toast

In a skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter, adding more tablespoons if necessary. Fry the bread on both sides until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a plate. Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with jam or syrup.

Pain Perdu French Toast

Notes

  • Waste not! Like pain perdu, capirotada (Mexican Lent bread pudding) is another delicious recipe for using up leftover bread.