Lemony Pain Perdu French Toast Recipes

PAIN PERDU - LOST BREAD, A.K.A. FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Beat eggs very well, add sugar and beat again. Add cornstarch in water and beat that in, then add milk and nutmeg. Coat bread thoroughly in egg-milk mixture. Lightly butter hot pan with butter nested in paper towels. Add bread to the pan and cook slowly, 3 or 4 minutes on each side, 2 to 3 slices at a time. Serve hot with your favorite toppings or Three Berry Compote.
• Combine sugar, lemon and water in a small sauce pot. Over moderate heat, dissolve sugar into water. Stir in fruit, coating it in sugar water and bring the fruit and water to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 7 or 8 minutes. Remove fruit with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and add maple syrup or honey to the pan. Thicken syrup 5 minutes and pour over fruit. Serve with French toast, pancakes or waffles.

PAIN PERDU: NEW ORLEANS STYLE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 F. Generously butter a large baking sheet.
• If desired, remove the crusts from bread slices and discard them or reserve them for another use. Set the bread aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the eggs with salt, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Pour into a flat-bottomed dish large enough to accommodate a few slices of the bread.
• Place the bread slices into the dish to soak up some of the egg mixture, a few at a time. Turn with a spatula and let them soak on the other side, but not too long, or they will be too saturated and difficult to turn. Gently remove the soaked bread slices to the buttered baking sheet and continue with the remaining bread slices. Spoon any remaining egg mixture over the slices.
• Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake the pain perdu for 15 to 20 minutes, turning after the first 10 minutes to brown on both sides.
• Serve immediately with melted butter and your favorite honey or syrup.

CHOCOLATE FRENCH TOAST (PAIN PERDU)

Steps:

• In a small pot over low heat, add 1/4 cup cream, milk, sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, vanilla, and salt and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in the cream mixture. Let sit until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
• Grease the baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter, and it line with the bread slices, overlapping slightly. Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread, making sure to cover the tips. Push the bread down with your fingers to coat the bread completely. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake until the custard sets and the bread turns golden at the edges, about 30 minutes.
• Add the remaining cream to a chilled bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Serve the French toast on individual plates with a dollop of cream.

PAIN PERDU I

Steps:

• Cut the bread and place on a wire rack to dry out a little as you prepare the batter.
• Whisk the egg to blend. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan or on the stovetop and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the sugar, salt and spices into the egg. When the butter has cooled slightly, slowly drizzle it in to the egg, whisking all the time. A little at a time, add the flour to the egg mixture to make a smooth thick paste. After it is all added, slowly blend in the milk and finally the vanilla. Whisk until just smooth and set aside.
• Heat the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip a slice of the bread in the batter and allow to soak for 30 seconds, no more. Remove from the batter and allow the excess to drip off, back into the bowl. Place the battered slice in the skillet. Repeat with the remaining slices. Cook until golden on one side and then flip to brown the other. Serve immediately--a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and a good dusting of powdered sugar is traditional.

LEMON-VANILLA FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Combine half-and-half, egg whites, confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, lemon extract, and salt in a bowl; whip together with a whisk or electric whisk until well blended, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into a large, flat container.
• Put one bread slice in the container and flip so it is coated on both sides, almost saturated.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan over medium heat until sizzling. Add soaked bread slice to the pan; you can do more than one depending on the size of the pan. Fry until medium brown and edges are crispy, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Continue cooking in batches, dipping bread and frying, and adding butter as necessary.
• Serve French toast with maple syrup and add whipped cream on top.

FRENCH CUSTARD TOAST ( PAIN PERDU)

Steps:

• Arrange bread slices in single layer in 2 9x13 baking dishes.
• Whisk eggs,milk, sugar, lemon peel,vanilla, salt and nutmeg in large bowl until blended.
• Pour over bread; let soak 5 minutes.
• Turn slices over; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of oil on griddle or in each of 2 large, heavy skillets( preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat.
• Add bread and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side; do not undercook or the insides will not be completely set.
• Transfer to a heated platter,sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately with the syrup of your choice.

LEMONY PAIN PERDU (FRENCH TOAST)

Steps:

• Mix the milk, half and half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, and salt together.
• If using the spices, mix them in at this point.
• Place the bread slices on a baking pan with sides. Pour the above mixture over the bread.
• Allow the bread to soak up the mixture for 5 minutes. Turn the slices over and let the bread soak for another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile melt the oil and butter together over medium to medium-high heat. I usually divide this into two skillets, so I use 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil per skillet.
• Add the bread slices to the skillets and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.