Kitchen Call: Twists on French toast

I once worked for woman who couldn’t bear the mention of French toast. Having grown up on a farm during the Great Depression, she explained, bread, milk and eggs were always available. So when the cupboard was bare, French toast might be on the menu for breakfast, lunch or dinner — sometimes all of the above.

Hearing that, I thought that this must be why the French call it pain perdu. Pronounce the French words incorrectly and you could imagine a chicken in physical distress. But the phrase actually translates as the forlorn-sounding “lost bread.” It certainly brings to life the cook’s act of rescuing stale bread in a redeeming bath of beaten eggs and milk.

Americans thoroughly embrace French toast as comfort food. Made with sliced white bread, not crusty loaves, it doesn’t matter if the bread is stale or fresh. We let it linger in the egg-and-milk batter until just short of falling apart. Then we sauté it to a golden brown outside and a warm, custardy center. All this under a warm drizzle of real maple syrup.

Americans have been playing with the bread-eggs-milk combination for years. Adding new ingredients from a simple dash of vanilla or changing the sweet up for savory to make the concoction acceptable for supper. Somewhere around the beginning of the last century, the toast took on a crunchy coating of cornflakes, probably under the influence with the rise of the breakfast cereal industry. The idea disappeared and resurfaced at mid-century and quietly went out of fashion again. Recently, it reappeared on restaurant menus, a welcome enticement for kids, and an invitation to parents to taste from their kids’ plates.

Cholesterol-watchers can use skim or 1 percent milk, as well as egg beaters or egg whites, and the results are just as good, sometimes better. I’ve used a minimal amount of butter in these recipes, but it is optional. Those with gluten intolerance will find that the gluten-free bread in the supermarket freezer section works very well.

CRISPY FRENCH TOAST
Makes 6 servings

This is a twist on the recipe described above using rice cereal. The cook can vary it with cocoa-flavored crispy rice cereal or cornflakes or even Special K.

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt, ground black pepper
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal (e.g. Kellogg’s or other brands)
• Canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter, to film the skillet
• 6 slices Texas toast
• unsalted butter, for serving
• real maple syrup, for serving
   

1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and pepper together in a large shallow bowl until well blended.

2. Place the cereal between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll with a rolling pin until lightly crumbled. Transfer to a plate.

3. Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the egg mixture to coat. Then press each slice of bread into the cereal so that it sticks to the egg mixture.

4. Heat canola oil with butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the prepared bread; cook until golden on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet; keep warm in a 250-degree oven until all the toast is cooked. For best taste, serve with real maple syrup.

BANANA AND HAZELNUT FRENCH TOAST
Makes 6 servings

The filling can be changed up in a variety of ways, see below. To really gild the lily, try the cereal dip above in the final cooking steps, a veritable feast.

•  3 bananas, cut in half crosswise and sliced lengthwise
• Nutella spread, brought to room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt, ground black pepper
• Canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter, to film the skillet
• 12 slices sliced white bread
• unsalted butter, for serving
• powdered sugar, for serving
   

1. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and pepper together in a large shallow bowl until well blended.

2. Dip one side of each slice of bread into the egg mixture to coat.

3. Heat canola oil with butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the prepared bread; cook until golden on the batter-dipped side only. Transfer half the bread slices to a baking sheet, cooked side up.

4. Spread the cooked side of 6 slices with Nutella; top with banana slices. Then top each with the remaining slices of bread, so that the uncooked side is on the outside of each “sandwich.” Return the sandwiches to the skillet, cooking until browned on the outside. Serve with butter and a very light scattering of powdered sugar. 

Filling variations:

• sautéed apples slices and cinnamon;
• cream cheese and jelly;
• peanut butter and jelly;
• pineapple and thinly sliced ham;
• cooked bacon and cheddar cheese
• very ripe, thinly sliced peaches sprinkled with nutmeg.
   

Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com.