A toast to Dad: Celebrate Father's Day with a delicious breakfast
And it's not just for breakfast anymore, according to Donna Kelly, author of "French Toast: Sweet and Savory Dishes for Every Meal" (Gibbs Smith, $16.95). In fact, about a third of recipes in her book are savory dishes, such as Southwest Chipotle Cornbread and French Toast Pizzas.
"Who doesn't love French toast? It only calls for three ingredients — bread, eggs and milk — so it's very versatile," said Kelly, who spends her workdays as a Utah County prosecutor and much of her free time cooking.
She said this popular breakfast food comes from the original French recipe pain perdue, or "lost bread." It started as a way to use up stale bread, by dipping it in an egg-and-milk mixture and cooking it.
"The concept lends itself to an almost infinite variety of flavors and versions," she said.
French toast can be made into egg-rich brunch casseroles or stuffed with everything from fruit to nuts to sausage to whipped cream, or topped with all kinds of syrups, sauces and streusels. When cubed, it becomes a sturdy dipper for fondues.
"It's fabulous, it's totally my own brainchild, unlike a lot of recipes where you get the idea from someone else and then work on it to make it your own," said Kelly. "It's got a nice fluffy texture, and it's got cumin, which is my favorite spice."
Should you be treating Dad to French toast on Father's Day, Kelly has four general rules to keep in mind:
1. It's always better if you use stale bread. "The bread has to be dry to absorb the custard mixture, which is what makes the classic French toast texture," she said. "If you use fresh bread right out of the package, it will get too soggy and fall apart while cooking."
To make fresh bread more "stale," leave the slices out on a wire rack for several hours or overnight, so the air circulates on both sides. Or in a pinch, dry it in on the racks in your oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
2. Always cover the pan with a lid while it's cooking. "That way, the toast will cook all the way through the middle before it starts burning on the outside."
3. The best batter ratio is three eggs to 1 cup milk. "Not enough eggs, and the French toast doesn't have any texture," said Kelly. "Too many and it won't absorb into the bread."
4. Don't use large amounts of sugar in your egg batter. "It will cause it to burn," said Kelly. "If you want sweet in French toast, buy sweeter bread."
Recent comments
Wish I could have got this for breakfast in bed this morning. Instead...
Bakin' Bill | June 16, 2008 at 3:56 a.m.
French toast for fondue. Now that's a new one. It works with...
who knew? | June 11, 2008 at 9:43 p.m.
Covering with a lid is a great idea. Makes a lot of sense now that...
DS | June 11, 2008 at 3:25 p.m.
