What’s In A Name
Country of Origin – Ancient Rome
The French Toast was originally created by medieval European chefs who, during desperate times, in order to feed their families, attempted to revive old, stale bread (‘Pain perdu’ in French!) They did so by adding eggs for additional moisture and protein.
However, the term ‘French’ implied that the dish was often enjoyed by the wealthy. The earliest recipes called for the usage of white bread – which was the most expensive bread available at the time. What made it richer was the cutting off of the crusts – something the poor and hungry would have never done, if the above paragraph holds water.al) – which includes a topping of lightly fried/poached egg.
Our Connection
Where – Cafe Gandolfi – Glasgow, Scotland
When – April, 2018
The family and I were nearing the end of our Easter vacation in Scotland. We spent the last days in the city of Glasgow.
Famished, we arrived at Cafe Gandolfi and wasted no time in placing our orders. While three of us decided to go the egg route, my sister ordered the French Toast. And we’re all thankful she did.
The French toast was the prettiest dish on the plate; so pretty that I have 5 pictures on my phone with my sister posing next to it! The crispy egg-dipped brioche bread, the pool of maple syrup, and the bed of cream, berries, and bananas. Just sitting next to it, I was going bananas! (Okay, no I wasn’t!)
It certainly looked sumptuous! So sumptuous that when I felt bored one Sunday morning in my Coventry studio flat, I thought I would change it up a bit.
French Toast
Description
"Riddle Me This! What makes Toast, French? Just soak it in eggs, milk, and vanilla, and then fry it, I reckon!"
Ingredients
French Toast
Caramelized Apple and Banana
Instructions
French Toast
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Crack the two eggs into a flat-bottomed bowl. Whisk until the egg whites dissolve into the yolks
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Pour the milk and the vanilla essence into the bowl.3 Continue whisking until they dissolve into the egg
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Add a knob of butter to a sauté pan. Place the pan over a medium-high heat and let the butter melt
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Dip a slice of bread1,2 into the flat bottomed bowl, ensuring that the whole slice is marinated in the eggy mixture. Wipe off any excess and carefully place in the heated sauté pan
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Cook the French Toast for 2-3 minutes, each side, on medium-high heat. Once cooked through (golden brown sheen on both sides), place it on the serving plate
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Repeat the same process for the other slice(s) of bread
Caramelized Apple and Banana
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Wash and peel an apple and a banana4
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Remove the core of the apple, and chop them into medium-sized wedges. Slice the banana into 1/2 inch thick pieces
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Add brown sugar to a sauté pan. Bring the pan over a medium-high heat and wait until the sugar starts to melt and become a thin caramel
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Once the sugar has melted and a thin sliver of caramel is formed, carefully add half the butter, bit by bit, into the caramel. Swirl the pan to ensure that the butter envelops the entire caramel
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Add the chopped apples and sliced bananas to the pan, and slowly stir the fruits in with the caramel
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Add the rest of the butter into the pan, and continue to cook the fruits and caramel on a medium-heat
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Once the apples start to soften and the fruits are completely covered by the caramel, lower the heat to a minimum, so that the caramelized fruits remain warm whilst you make the French Toast
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To serve (per serving) - Place two slices of French Toast in the centre of the plate; drizzle the caramelized apples and bananas around the Toast and even a few spoons over them; and sprinkle powdered sugar over the plate to complete the dish!
Note
1. If you want something a bit more fancy, replace the white/brown bread with brioche bread.
2. If you have a whole loaf of bread, slice thicker slices of bread for French Toast.
3. To the egg mixture, you can add a teaspoon of cinnamon or all-spice to give the french toast an added flavour. I prefer mine without the spice!
4. Depending on what time of the year you're making this dish, you could substitute the apples and bananas with pears/apricots/mangoes/peaches.
5. While this is a 'sweet' version of the french toast, a more 'savoury' version is also possible. This would involve the use of vegetables in the egg (similar to an omelette) and the removal of a sweetener; i.e. the vanilla essence.
6. You can top your french toast with simple sliced bananas, a spoonful of chocolate spread (goes well with the bananas), or peanut butter.
7. The prices of the ingredients (table below) are only rough estimates and are subject to change!
8. As certain ingredients are common household items - salt, pepper, oil - you may not be required to purchase them, and so the cost of preparing this dish is lower.
