Pain Perdu I Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim side and bottom crusts from brioche, leaving top crust intact. Slice brioche 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; lay bread pieces in pan so that they overlap slightly, with top crusts visible.
• Make custard: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk milk, cream, sugar, vanilla scrapings, and liqueur. Cook until hot but not simmering.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and yolks. Whisking constantly, pour 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into eggs; slowly add remaining milk mixture.
• Pour custard over bread, making sure to soak completely. Bake until firm to the touch, about 1 hour; if needed, press bread with a spatula to keep it moist.
• Remove from oven. Let cool slightly before cutting into rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Combine the sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the orange liqueur in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, honey, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, the vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Slice the bread in 3/4-inch slices. Pour the egg mixture into a large shallow plate and soak a few slices of bread for 4 minutes, turning once.
• Heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Take each slice of bread from the egg mixture, dip one side in the toasted almonds, and place in the saute pan, almond side down. (While you're cooking each batch, add more bread to the egg mixture to soak.) Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked bread on a baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil, and continue to fry the remaining soaked bread until they're all cooked. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve hot with the strawberries.

Steps:

• Place the bread in a large bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together the cream, vanilla sugar, brandy, salt and eggs (or use a blender). Pour over the bread. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then turn the bread over to ensure proper absorption. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Sprinkle some flour and some vanilla sugar on top of the bread slices. When the foam from the butter subsides, put the soaked bread in the pan and cook on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the bread and place the pan in the oven until cooked through and custardy in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Steps:

• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, syrup, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Pour the syrup evenly over the bottom of the prepared dish. Arrange the bread slices in the dish on top of the syrup mixture. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Uncover the dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until the French toast is lightly browned and slightly puffed. Serve hot.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, milk, brandy and orange zest. Beat until thick and foamy.
• Pour mixture into a shallow pan.
• Soak bread slices in the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until they are thoroughly soaked through.
• Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Lightly spray griddle with cooking spray.
• Cook the bread slices 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve hot.