Sylvia’s Eggnog Brioche French Toast

Pain Perdu translates simply as “lost bread” and is the basis of today’s French Toast. The lost bread we are speaking of is that stale loaf of brioche or sourdough that is not yet destined to become bread crumbs.

Day old bread, or slices of bread that have been dried in a 275 degree oven will keep the bread from breaking while cooking. Most important the pain perdu allows better absorption of the eggnog mixture.

The why of cooking is as important as the how! Clearly, French Toast rescues an old loaf of bread from a lesser fate and leftover slices make a great sandwich. As breakfast, with afternoon tea or served as dessert Pain Perdu has a history dating back to the fifth century!

Here’s Sylvia’s recipe . . .

Sylvia’s French Toast: Serves Four

Ingredients

• 6 brioche – 1.5″ thick slices, cut in triangles – buy an unsliced loaf
• 6 XL eggs
• 6 oz of Sylvia’s eggnog – watch for the recipe next week!
• 6 oz heavy cream
• 1 stick sweet butter – extra as needed
• 4 oz olive oil – extra as needed
• 3 oz Sylvia’s eggnog for the fruit sauté
• Local, in-season fruits such as apples, pears, peaches or mixed berries
• Rum – for the flambé!

Preparation and Cooking

1. Mix eggs, eggnog, and heavy cream by hand or with an electric mixer. If you like it sweeter, add a bit of maple syrup
2. Strain into a pan large enough to soak all the brioche at one time.
3. Melt sweet butter in olive oil, when butter foams reserve to use for cooking french toast
4. Select the fruit to sauté from the choices above
5. For whole fruit – wash, dry well, seed or pit and cut into wedges.
6. For berries – wash and dry well, if using strawberries, halve or quarter
7. In a hot saucepan add butter/olive oil, add fruit, add rum, flame
8. Add 2 oz eggnog to the fruit, simmer to thicken, reserve
9. Add brioche slices to the eggnog mix, allow 5 minutes per side to absorb eggnog
10. Heat a cast iron pan on a medium flame
11. Sauté the brioche being careful to brown all 3 cut sides evenly
12. Sauté in batches as necessary, use a warm oven to hold
13. When golden return all brioche to pan, add rum and flame
14. Remove from the heat and allow the flame to burn out
15. Portion the fruit-eggnog mix on 4 warm plates
16. Add 3 pieces of french toast on top of fruit-eggnog mix
17. Garnish with powdered sugar mixed with a bit of the spice mix from the eggnog

Serving Suggestions

• Pour 4 glasses of eggnog or make Rüdesheim Coffee.
• Buy smoked salmon when you are at the market, toast any extra brioche, top with goat cheese and smoked salmon, garnish with chives. Serve before the French Toast.

Lagniappe [lan-yap]: Cajun for “a little something extra”

Thank you for taking the time to follow my story. Every week I add an extra link, one that is worth a few moments of your time.

• For Sunday mornings by the fire or a walk in the snow this winter Rüdesheim Coffee is the best. Better get an extra bottle of Asbach Uralt!
• Our favorite cook online is Kenji at Serious Eats. Food is about variations on a theme and adding lemon-ricotta-blackberries to MHI french toast is a fantastic variation.
• Roasting apples and pears for your french toast? Add Edwards Surryano ham sliced paper thin!

Please send me your thoughts, a picture or a question. Let me know what’s cooking in your kitchen!

It’s been my pleasure, and we do hope you try out Sylvia’s French Toast soon or visit us for some of ours! Call us or email us to book your stay.

– Gary