Pain Perdu

It’s Sunday morning, and there is a good possibility you drank a little too much vin the night before, danced a little too late, woken up next to a new friend – and you’re too exhausted to bother going to the supermarché for ingredients for breakfast. Thankfully, there is one standby that never fails, and you almost always have the ingredients required for preparing it.  What is this savior of a breakfast you ask?  French Toast, otherwise known as  ‘Pain Perdu’.  It literally translates to ‘lost bread’, because it is typically a dish made from day old bread you didn’t end up finishing the night before (which rarely happens).  It is one of those dishes that can be whipped up in a total of 10 minutes, adding a variety of spices, fruits, etc. to your hearts desire. While it may not have French origins, there is something appropriately indulgent about this breakfast, eaten closer to noon, preferably with a view of the city from a small rooftop room.

Ingredients:

• Bread (preferably day old.)  I prefer to use a thick bread, such as brioche or baguette.
• 2 Eggs
• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Orange/lemon *optional

Steps:

• Slice bread into desired thickness

• Whisk eggs, sugar, and cinnamon in bowl – set aside.  (You would add citrus juice to mixture at this time if you chose to use it.)

• Place bread slices into egg mixture, letting it soak up almost all of the liquid.

• Heat up frying pan to medium-high heat, placing a slab of butter for frying purposes.

• Drip off excess liquid off of bread – while not squeezing out any of it, to preserve moisture.  

• Place bread in pan, and fry, turning once it achieves a nice caramelized color.

• Serve, add fresh fruits, nutella, or whatever it is you are craving!  Et voila, enjoy!

  Hannah Howard is a Pastry Chef from Eugene Oregon, USA.
  Blog: Hmhoward90.wordpress.com/
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