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Lost Bread

Source of Recipe

From "Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food" by Tom Fitzmorris


Recipe Introduction

"Pain perdu, as the Old Creoles like my mother called it, got its name from the day-old stale French bread used to make it. Lost for most purposes to which French bread is usually put, these crusts are soaked in eggs and milk, fried or grilled, and served for breakfast. It is, you've noticed, quite like French toast but a good deal richer. This is another one of those dishes for which my mother's version remains definitive for me. She soaked the bread in the custard until it was almost falling apart and then (hold your breath) deep-fried it. The most outstanding characteristic of this stuff is its oozy richness. It is not oily in any way."

List of Ingredients

◦  4 eggs
◦  ½ cup half-and-half
◦  2 Tbsp sugar
◦  1 Tbsp vanilla extract
◦  1 tsp cinnamon
◦  2 dashes of nutmeg
◦  18 slices stale French bread, about ¾ inch thick
◦  1 cup vegetable oil
◦  Confectioners' sugar


Recipe

Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a wide bowl. Add the bread and soak the slices while you heat the oil.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet to about 350° F.

Lower 2 pieces of bread at a time into the oil and fry about 2 minutes on each side. Let the bread cook to a darker brown than your instincts might tell you.

Remove the lost bread as it's cooked and drain it on paper towels. Use another towel to blot the excess oil from the top. Keep the bread pieces warm in a 200° F oven. Continue cooking the rest of the bread in small batches, allowing the temperature of the oil to recover between batches.

Serve immediately with confectioners' sugar. Warn your guests about the lavalike heat on the inside!


Serves 6 to 8