I can still remember the very first time I ate French Toast. I was in Grade 5 and a friend at school told me about how her mother made French Toast every Friday for dinner. I had no idea what it was and so she invited me to come to her house on Friday for dinner.
I asked my mother and she said it was okay and so the next Friday I hopped on the bus with my friend and went to her house for dinner. I have to say it was love at first bite and I have been loving it ever since!
I just adore the magic and chemistry of cooking. The way that you can combine a few simple ingredients and come up with something incredibly tasty.
There is nothing really fancy in French Toast. Fresh eggs and milk . . . some vanilla . . . are whisked together to make a soaking custard . . .
A good bread is then used to soak up the custard and then the bread slices are fried in butter until golden brown on both sides. I have a few secrets that will help you to make really great French Toast.
This is when you will really benefit from using an artisanal bread, preferably a day old and a bit on the dry side. I used GRADZ Sourdough bread which is also yeast free.
Drier stale-ish bread helps to soak up and hold the egg/milk custard better. A bread with some heft will soak up and stand up to the custard and not fall apart easily.
Sourdough bread is perfect for this. You also don't want your bread to be sliced too thinly. 1/2-inch to 1-inch is about right.
Too many eggs in the custard and you risk your French toast tasting too "eggy." You want a good ratio of eggs to milk. I find that 1-2 large free range eggs to approximately 60ml (1/4 cup) of milk works best.
Some people like to add sugar to their custard. I don't. You are probably going to drizzle something sweet over it when you eat it anyways, so I leave the sugar out of the custard.
I do however like to add some pure vanilla . . . but you can also add a teaspoon or two of your favourite liqueur if you like.
Orange flavoured or coffee or chocolate flavoured liqueurs are especially nice.
Another thing you can't do is rush French Toast. I like to take my time cooking it. I get my pan really hot and then I turn it down to medium low.
I brush it with butter and once the butter foams I add my slices of bread.
Slow and stead wins the race here. Too hot a pan and your toast will be burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. You want that custard to cook through and you want your toast to be just golden brown. The interior should have an almost soufflé-like texture.
Because I am not cooking it at a really high temperature I can use all butter to fry it in, which adds an even deeper depth of flavour to the finish and a really nice golden brown colour.
Too high a temperature and your butter will burn, which isn't nice. So don't be in too much of a hurry!
Some people add cinnamon to the custard. I don't, and neither does this recipe.
When you add cinnamon like that, it tends to collect in clumps in the liquid, which isn't all that appealing.
In this recipe you dust your finished French Toast with cinnamon sugar. I like a lot of ground cinnamon in my cinnamon sugar.
I want it to taste nice and cinnamony. I have used Caster sugar which is a finer form of granulated sugar. You can use regular granulated sugar if you wish, or you can whizz some regular granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to grind it finer.
This delicious version of French Toast is drizzled with melted dark chocolate when it is done, just prior to serving.
Dark chocolate really gives it a nice finish. Not too sweet, yet really rich and decadent . . . I adore dark chocolate. Use one with a high cocoa content and you won't be sorry!
Altogether I would call this French Toast the perfect French Toast. Fresh and quality ingredients, put together simply . . . you can't go wrong!
Some other French Toast recipes you might enjoy are BUTTERMILK FRENCH TOAST, LEMON FRENCH TOAST (great with fresh berries), and RASPBERRY BAKEWELL FRENCH TOAST.
Yield: 2 - 4 (depending on appetites)
Chocolate & Cinnamon French Toast
Delicious fluffy French toast made with GRADZ yeast free sourdough bread, dusted with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with melted dark chocolate. What's not to like?
ingredients:
- 4 slices GRADZ yeast free sourdough bread
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 100ml whole milk (1/2 cup less 2 TBS)
- 4 TBS caster sugar whisked together with 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
- butter for the skillet
- 50g dark chocolate, melted (2 ounces)
instructions:
How to cook Chocolate & Cinnamon French Toast
- Have ready a shallow bowl or casserole dish large enough to hold your slices of bread. Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat them together with the milk and vanilla until well combined. Dip your slices of bread into the mixture, one at a time, flipping them over to coat both sides and allowing any excess to fall away. Place onto a baking sheet in preparation for cooking.
- Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Brush with butter. Add the slices of egg soaked bread. Cook for several minutes until golden brown on the bottoms and then flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. If you haven't been able to do them all at once, keep the ones you have done warm in a low oven and repeat until all your French toast has been cooked.
- Whisk together the caster sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Dust the slices of French toast with cinnamon sugar to coat. Stack the French toast on a serving platter and drizzle with the melted chocolate to serve. Enjoy!
This lovely French Toast recipe would make a great holiday breakfast I think!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I am a huge HUGE fan of the sandwich! Sandwiches are one of my absolute favourite things and if they are hot sandwiches so much the better!
I love, Love, LOVE Hot Sandwiches! Yummy! Yummy!
This is a dessert that is not only impressive, but also very easy to create. Even easier to eat.
With the colder temperatures and damp dismal weather comfort food is the order of the day. You really can't get much more comforting than this!
This falls into the category of what is called an "Impossible Pie." Supposedly separating into three lush layers. A crust on the bottom, topped with a custard and then a cake on the top.
Quick to whip together. No "faffing" about. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy.
I have always found that the bottoms of these impossible pies have never truly been what you would really call a crust. Having said that however, it doesn't really matter, because they are spectacularly delicious desserts!
Sometimes a crust can be highly overrated. (I can't believe I just said that!)
I especially love this version of Impossible Pie. With its lush coconut and almond batter . . . rich and moreish . . . studded with chunks of pear, lightly flavoured with cinnamon . . . it ever fails to please.
I think the only way it could possibly be any better, would be if we added chocolate chunks. Did I say that? Ummm . . . sorry!
If you use real butter to butter the baking dish really well, you do end up with a browned almost crust on the bottom . . .Real Butter. As opposed to fake butter.
Or margarine. My mother never used margarine. Only butter. There is no substitution for the real thing. Trust me.
The custard is rich, delicious and nicely flavoured. It has a beautiful coconut flavour that comes from using both whole and full fat coconut milks along with the eggs . . .
Two kinds of coconut milk. You can't beat it!
The cake part is also rich and delicious. It is highly flavoured with almond and coconut, from the use of dessicated coconut and ground almonds.
This gives you almost a frangipane cake . . . studded with cooked pears. I simply adore frangipane.
And of course you have the flaked almond topping. The gild the lily so to speak.
They get all toasty and brown in the oven. Really buttery, gorgeously nutty.
Throughout there is the lovely flavour of cinnamon. Beautiful warm and comforting.
Cinnamon is the warm baking spice that always whispers "Home Sweet Home" to my heart.
The smell when it is baking is amazing. It smells buttery, warm, cinnamony, nutty . . .all at once.
Its enough to drive a sane woman crazy.
The flavour of it is pretty amazing as well. If you only bake one dessert this weekend, let it be this. You will not regret it! I guarantee!
Yield: 6
Pear, Almond & Coconut Impossible Pie
Called impossible because like magic the mixture separates as it cooks into a base and filling. If you don't like pears you can use canned apples, peaches, apricots or even berries in this fabulous recipe
ingredients:
- 75g plain flour (1/2 cup + 2 tsp)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 220g sugar (1 cup +2 1/2 TBS)
- 40g dessicated coconut (1/2 cup)
- 40g almond meal (1/2 cup)
- 240ml whole coconut milk (1 cup)
- 240ml whole milk (1 cup)
- 125g butter melted (9 TBS)
- 4 large free range eggs
- 2 TBS golden syrup (can use corn syrup)
- 400g tin of pears, drained and chopped roughly (14 ounce tin)
- 20 flaked almonds (4 TBS)
instructions:
How to cook Pear, Almond & Coconut Impossible Pie
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch deep cake tin or pie dish very well. Set on a baking tray.
- Sift the flour and cinnamon into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, coconut and almond meal. Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, coconut milk, milk and golden syrup. Add to the dry mixture and mix well together. Stir in the chopped pears. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Set on the baking tray. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or so until golden brown and set. Serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar if desired. Cream, warm custard or vanilla ice cream goes well with this.
I can't help myself. I keep nibbling at the edges of this. Its just so, so, so good.
If you are not fond pears, feel free to use any other tinned fruit. Apples, peaches, apricots, berries, mango . . . all go spectacularly well in this!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Those of you not familiar with it will probably wonder what Rocky Road is. Scrumptious, indulgent and easy to make, it is simply a refrigerator cake composed of melted chocolate, crushed biscuits, dried fruit, etc.
This gets pressed into a pan and then refrigerated until set and solid and then you can cut it into squares to eat. It is said to be Prince William and Harry's favourite dessert.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is a play on that theme, as well as an unusual take on the American S'mores. These are scrumptious, indulgent, and very easy to make.
Instead of crushed and crumbled biscuits/cookies, it uses crisp rice cereal and salty pretzels. Mini ones, or larger ones broken into bits. I think the smaller ones work better.
There is no dried fruit in it, but there is plenty of chocolate . . .
Two kinds are melted together . . . dark chocolate and milk chocolate . . .
along with butter, golden syrup and a quantity of mini marshmallows.
If you haven't got golden syrup you can use corn syrup. It will work fine. Once these ingredients have all melted and are amalgamated . . .
You stir in the pretzels and the crisp cereal . . . mixing everything well together.
You will need an 8-inch square pan lined with aluminium foil, large enough to be able to lift the squares out when done.
The chocolate cereal mixture gets spooned into the prepared pan and then lightly pressed to compact it a bit. Don't press too hard . . .
The remaining marshmallows get sprinkled over top . . . these two press down lightly so that they adhere to the chocolate mixture a bit. Again, not too hard.
After chilling for a couple hours until solid you take the pan out of the fridge and pop it under a hot grill to gild the marshmallows on top, golden brown . . . that's it. Ooey, gooey, sweet, salty, rich and indulgent, creamy and crisp . . . chocolaty. What more could you ask for?
Yield: Makes 16 bars
Rocky Road S'Mores
Sweet, salty, gooey, crisp and chocolaty!
ingredients:
- 75g butter (1/3 cup)
- 1 TBS golden syrup
- 150g white mini marshmallows, divided (3 cups)
- 200g dark chocolate, broken into bits (7 ounces)
- 100g milk chocolate, broken into bits (3 1/2 ounces)
- 50g crisp rice cereal (1 1/2 cups)
- 100g salted mini pretzels (about 2 1/4 cups)
instructions:
How to cook Rocky Road S'Mores
- Line an 8 inch square pan with aluminium foil. Set aside.
- Place the butter, golden syrup and half of the marshmallows into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring until melted and amalgamated. Stir in the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and stir in the rice cereal and pretzels. Press this mixture into the prepared pan. Scatter the remaining marshmallows over top, pressing down lightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
- Preheat the grill/broiler to high. Pop the rocky road (still in the pan) under the grill for about 45 to 60 seconds until toasted golden brown. Remove immediately. Let cool.
- Cut into squares with a wet knife to serve. Store in an airtight container.
One of my many weaknesses is Chinese Food. I quite simply adore Chinese flavours. I have never been to China or eaten "real" Chinese food
So I guess when I say I love Chinese flavours, I mean "westernised" Chinese food. In reality I don't think I would like "real" Chinese food at all. I have watched the travel shows.
One of my favourite memories of when my children were growing up was when the power went out one time during a blizzard. We had been in the middle of making a stir fry on the stove and fried rice.
I often made a stir fry or fried rice for my family. They were great ways to stretch a little bit of meat and some vegetables.
On this particular occasion, not being ones to let bad weather get us down or deter us from our goals we finished it off outside in the shed on the gas BBQ.
What a great adventure that was! BBQ-ing Chinese food amidst snow drifts, and it was delicious!
Another favourite Chinese food memory is of this place down the Valley from where I grew up in Granville Ferry. They had a restaurant called The Continental Kitchen.
It really wasn't a restaurant per se, but a big old Victorian Farm house that been converted into a Buffet place.
It was not a professionally run establishment, but rather a group of women who put on these buffet meals several times a week. They did Seafood Buffets and they did Chinese Buffets.
These buffet nights were incredibly popular! Their food was fabulous. You would never have known they weren't professionals!
My ex BIL and his wife used to do excellent Chinese Dinners at home, with sweet and sour chicken, chowmein, fried rice and a few other bits. Lots of work chopping things up, but oh were they ever delicious.
It would take him hours in preparation time, not to mention cooking the meal. We always really enjoyed the fruits of his labors and appreciated his efforts.
And of course I do enjoy throwing together stir fries and fried rice from time to time as well. My fried rice recipe comes from my MIL who got it from a friend of hers out in Winnipeg back in the 1950's.
The original recipe used Minute Rice, but I adapted it through the years to use long grain regular rice. Its really good too. We just love it!
Teriyaki is one of my favourite tastes and I know . . . Teriyaki is Japanese not Chinese. I don't want all you Purists e-mailing me and trying to set me straight. I do know the difference between Chinese and Japanese.
You can call this fusion cooking. It is a combination of two of my loves. Fried rice and Teriyaki!
To me, Oriental/Asian flavours are Oriental flavours. I love and enjoy them all. Even Korean which is a bit spicy but lovely all the same.
Aside from the wierd stuff, there are some amazingly beautiful flavours tha come from that side of the world.
This is a tasty casserole makes good use of leftover cooked chicken and cooked rice. You begin by making a thick Teriyaki flavoured sauce.
Mmmm . . . Teriyaki. Have you ever gotten the Teriyaki sauce/glaze from Costco? Delicious!
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Once the sauce is done for this, you stir in cooked chicken (cubed or shredded), cooked rice, and cooked stir fried vegetables . . . .
I like to use peppers, onions, carrots, sometimes pineapple, broccoli, etc.
Pour all of this into a casserole dish, cover and bake. It doesn't get much easier or simpler.
You could of course use leftover chopped cooked beef if you would rather, or pork. Pork would lend itself beautifully to these flavours.
To be honest I think you could even fry up a quantity of good ground beef to use in this quite successfully. It would taste wonderful.
I think you could even use some prawns in this if you really wanted to. It is really quite versatile!
And really quite tasty. I like lots of vegetables in my Chinese dishes.
They provide lots of colour, variety, texture and flavour!
I probably have more vegetables in it than rice! But that's okay because I love them, and it bulks the dish out and they are good for you!
This was something my children never minded eating either. It was a great way to get them to eat their vegetables and get in some of their five a day!
Oftimes getting children to eat their vegetables can be a bit of a struggle. Its never a struggle with this tasty casserole!
I hope you will give this a try and that you enjoy it. You can also easily double it to serve more! And if you really want to be healthy, try using brown rice instead of white.
Yield: 4
Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Casserole
Deliciously simple using a fabulous homemade teriyaki sauce, leftover cooked chicken, precooked rice and frozen stir fry vegetables. A store cupboard favourite!
ingredients:
For the Sauce:
- 80ml low sodium soy sauce (1/3 cup)
- 75g sugar (1/3 cup)
- 60ml apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- pinch black pepper
- 1/2 TBS cornflour
- 1/2 TBS water
For the casserole:
- 2 chicken breast fillets, cooked and shredded
- 325g cooked rice (2 cups)
- 225g cooked or steamed stir fry vegetables (1 1/2 cups)
instructions:
How to cook Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Butter a medium sized casserole dish.
- Measure the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper into a saucepan. Heat stirring until the sugar has melted completely. Make a slurry of the corn flour and water. Stir this into the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, cooking until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Cook for one minute further. Stir in the cooked chicken, rice and vegetables. Pour this mixture into the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well heated through. Serve hot.
Its turned really cold here today. Brrr . . . we have the heat on and its only the middle of the afternoon. I think Winter is in a hurry to get here this year!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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