Morning glory French toast
Source of Recipe
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Recipe Introduction
Morning glory French toast,
whether gourmet or basic, adds a sweet touch to a new day.
It's simple, but it also can be sophisticated. Think of it as bread in all its glory. In its purest form, French toast is squishy white bread dipped in egg
wash and pan-fried, then drizzled with maple syrup. Mothers -- for generations -- have made French toast to use up stale bread.
But since the '70s, when brunch came into vogue, French toast has gone upscale. It's baked or fried, made from fancy breads and stuffed or topped with elegant fruit sauces. It's even dipped in batter with a splash of liqueur.
French toast could be just the ticket for Valentine's Day. After all,
the day for sweethearts falls on a Sunday this year.
Any other day of the year, French toast is a soothing reward just for
getting out of bed. It's warm, sweet-smelling and oh-so-comforting.
In its purest form, French toast is squishy white bread dipped in egg
wash and pan-fried, then drizzled with maple syrup. Mothers -- for
generations -- have made French toast to use up stale bread.
But since the '70s, when brunch came into vogue, French toast has
gone upscale. It's baked or fried, made from fancy breads and stuffed
or topped with elegant fruit sauces. It's even dipped in batter with
a splash of liqueur.
French toast is basic in its appeal.
"People like bread," said Karen Nygaard. "(The appeal) is texture, as
well as taste."
Nygaard is chef and co-owner of La Boulangerie, a restaurant-deli in
Mequon where French toast begins with a sweet, cinnamon-swirled
morning bun made from a croissant-cinnamon dough.
Each bun is rolled in cinnamon-sugar before baking. It's sliced into
three pieces, dipped into an egg batter made with powdered sugar,
milk, eggs and vanilla extract, then grilled on a flat-top griddle
and garnished with powdered sugar. Maple syrup is drizzled on top.
French toast attracts a loyal following like bread pudding does, said
Terry Smith, owner of The Inn at Cedar Crossing in Sturgeon Bay.
"When people like bread pudding, they're fanatic about it."
The Inn at Cedar Crossing features Grilled Hazelnut French Toast --
thick slices of freshly baked brioche, dipped in a hazelnut-liqueur
batter and topped with toasted hazelnuts and pure maple syrup.
French toast also is "homey" and familiar, noted Sue Carroll, who
published a collection of recipes from her East Coast resort,
"Breakfast at Nine, Tea at Four" (Callawind Publications, 1997,
$14.97).
"It's instantly recognizable," Carroll said in an interview. "And
people feel comfortable with it. They've had it most of their lives
in one form or another."
Carroll's resort, The Mainstay Inn, is considered one of America's
oldest seashore resorts, nestled in the preserved Victorian community
of Cape May, N.J.
Carroll has developed four or five French toast recipes over the
years. Variety makes her life in the kitchen more interesting, she
said, since she probably serves French toast twice a week.
Frequent guests of bed and breakfast inns no doubt have experienced
French toast at its finest. French toast and pancakes are among the
most popular breakfast items because they carry such wide appeal,
several innkeepers said.
"It's so versatile," said Kris Ullmer, administrator for the
Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association, which has 277 members across
the state. "It can be baked or grilled, made with honey, caramel,
fruit or cream cheese. And it can be prepared the night before," she
said.
Baking is a healthier approach to French toast, noted Dennis Kuhfuss,
executive chef of the Boulevard Inn in Milwaukee.
"We used to deep-fry it, and people were looking for something a
little lighter," he said. While the restaurant's Sunday brunch
signature, Grand Marnier Croissant French Toast, is made with the
same recipe used for the past 10 years, it's now grilled instead of
deep-fried.
French toast originated in France, where it was called "ameritte" or
"pain perdu" (lost bread), a term still used in Creole and Cajun
cooking, according to John F. Mariani's "The Dictionary of American
Food and Drink" (Hearst, 1994, $19.95).
In New Orleans, French toast is the star of Cajun and Acadian
breakfasts, served with hot black coffee.
In his book, "American Cooking: Creole and Acadian" (Time-Life, 1971,
out of print) author Peter S. Feibleman writes about breakfast with
an Acadian family in South Louisiana.
The family prepared French toast by lightly beating a few eggs, then
adding sugar, a splash of brandy and a dash of orange-flower. Slices
of a loaf of stale bread are soaked in the mixture, then the bread
browns slowly in an iron skillet, "giving off a wonderful breakfast
smell."
The French toast is served hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar and
accompanied by a pitcher of cane syrup and another syrup of Louisiana
honey mixed with melted butter.
"It is light, and it has a sweet richness that makes it as good
without syrup as with," Feibleman writes. "Add a bit of the warm,
buttery honey and you will never want to get up to any other food in
the morning."
French toast first appeared in print in 1871, Mariani writes.
One of the first recipes, from "The Picayune's Creole Cook Book"
published in 1900, calls for dipping a slice of white bread into a
batter made from 1 beaten egg and 1/4 cup milk or cream. Then the
bread is sauteed in butter until brown on both sides, and served
immediately with maple syrup, cinnamon, powdered sugar, or honey.
Boulevard Inn executive chef Kuhfuss shared this French toast
variation that he developed about 10 years ago as one of the
Milwaukee restaurant's signature Sunday brunch entrees.
List of Ingredients
Marnier Croissant French Toast
8 eggs
1 cup half-and-half cream
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur
12 large croissants
Orange marmalade for garnish
In large bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, sugar, salt and liqueur.
Mix by hand.
Brush large skillet or grill with corn oil.
Slice croissants lengthwise and dip in batter to coat. Fry egg-soaked
croissants until lightly browned on each side.
Serve with warmed orange marmalade. Makes 6 servings (2 whole croissants
each).
Boulevard Inn executive chef Kuhfuss shared this French toast
variation that he developed about 10 years ago as one of the
Milwaukee restaurant's signature Sunday brunch entrees.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
Cherry Stuffed French Toast
1 loaf egg bread, unsliced
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup canned tart cherries, drained
Oil for griddle 6 eggs, well beaten
Ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar for garnish
Maple syrup
Slice egg bread into 1 1/2-inch thick slices. Starting at top crust,
carefully slit each piece three-fourths of the way down, creating
"pocket" for stuffing so that the bottom quarter still holds the
entire piece together. Set aside.
In bowl, beat cream cheese, whipping cream and cherries together on
medium speed until well combined.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the mixture into the pocket of each slice and
press the slice together very gently, distributing the filling evenly.
Lightly oil and preheat griddle.
Dip each slice of stuffed egg bread lightly into beaten eggs to coat
all sides. Place immediately onto hot griddle.
Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and turn when golden brown. Sprinkle
other side with cinnamon after turning. After frying second side
until golden, remove each slice to cutting board and very gently
slice each piece in half diagonally. To garnish, sprinkle with
powdered sugar. Arrange triangles on plate and serve immediately with
maple syrup. Makes 4 servings.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
The White Gull Inn of Fish Creek in Sister Bay is famous for
traditional Door County fish boils, but its impressive looking
stuffed French toast is a breakfast favorite. The cherries make it
color-appropriate for a Valentine's Day brunch. The recipe is from
"Have Breakfast With Us . . . Again" (Amherst Press, 1995, $15.95).
Grilled Hazelnut French Toast
1 cup eggs (approximately 6 large eggs)
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/8 cup hazelnut liqueur
Melted butter for frying
8 to 12 slices of favorite bread cut 1 1/2 to 1 1/4 inch thick
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Maple syrup for garnish
In shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half and liqueur.
On flat-top griddle or in large skillet, melt small amount of butter.
When drops of water dance when sprinkled onto griddle, dip bread
slices into egg mixture and fry on hot griddle until golden brown on
both sides.
To serve, slice toasts diagonally, sprinkle with chopped, toasted
hazelnuts and top with maple syrup. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
Here's a recipe from another historic Door County country inn, The
Inn at Cedar Crossing in Sturgeon Bay. The inn's restaurant uses its
own fresh-baked loaves of brioche, owner Smith noted in sharing the
recipe.
French Toast with Strawberry Sauce
8 ounces cream cheese
1 loaf (11/2 pounds) firm white bread, cut into 16 (1-inch) slices
10 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (1 pint)
2 cups strawberry preserves
Grease 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish.
Spread cream cheese over half the bread slices. Cover with remaining
slices to make sandwiches. Trim crusts and cut bread into 1-inch
cubes. Place in prepared baking dish.
In bowl, mix eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup and melted butter until
well blended. Pour evenly over the bread; press bread down until it
soaks up egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or
overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until
lightly browned.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Heat strawberries and strawberry preserves
in saucepan, stirring gently, until preserves have melted.
Cut French toast into squares and serve warm, with strawberry sauce.
Makes 8 to 10 servings; 31/2 cups of strawberry sauce.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
Recipe
This baked version of French toast from Sue Carroll's "Breakfast at
Nine, Tea at Four" (Callawind Publications, 1998, $14.95) is a little
different because the bread is cubed to better hold the sauce. This
is a favorite at the Mainstay Inn in Cape May, N.J., one of America's
oldest seashore resorts. It's prepared the night before, then baked
just before serving.
French Toast with Spicy Apple Syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced (2 cups)
1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, cut into 12 to 14 (1-inch) slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 jar (10 ounces) apple jelly
1 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Dash of salt
Heat butter, sugar and corn syrup in saucepan until mixture is
syrupy. Pour into ungreased 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Cover
with apple slices, then bread.
In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla and pour mixture over
bread. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, 40 minutes or until
lightly browned.
Meanwhile, prepare syrup. Combine apple jelly, applesauce, cinnamon,
cloves and salt in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly, until jelly is melted and syrup is hot.
Separate French toast slices with knife and serve immediately, with
warm syrup. Makes 6 to 8 servings; 11/2 cups apple syrup.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
Here's another unique, baked French toast recipe from the Mainstay
Inn. This recipe is a longtime favorite, according to inn owner
Carroll. The recipe must be prepared the night before, then baked
just before serving.
Toast, '70s Style
8 slices stale French bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Powdered sugar and strawberries or orange slices for garnish
Place slices of bread in large baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients
except butter and garnishes and pour over bread. Cover and
refrigerate overnight.
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Fry bread in hot butter on both sides
until crisp and brown. Serve hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Garnish each serving with hulled whole strawberries or orange slices.
Makes 4 servings.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 7, 1999
This recipe is from the '70s, when brunch became hip. We found the
recipe in "Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads" by Sylvia
Lovegren (Macmillan General Reference, 1995, $25). Soaking the
egg-milk mixture overnight gives it a puffy and tender texture.
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