French Toast - John Besh

By norsegal8

French toast is probably the first thing I ever cooked at home as a boy, and it's still one of my favorite breakfasts to make for my boys, who just love it. Milk, of course, can be substituted instead of half-and-half, and feel free to omit the Grand Marnier. Bread that is a couple of days old makes the best French toast, as it tends to absorb a bit more of the egg mixture.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 2 pinches ground nutmeg
• 2 pinches ground cinnamon
• 1/4 vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 12 slices day-old, 1-inch thick French bread

Preparation

Step 1

1. Beat together the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they are well-mixed. Add the half-and-half, orange juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and Grand Marnier if you like, and mix well.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Working with 3-4 slices of bread at a time, dip the slices of bread at a time, dip the slices of bread into the egg mixture and submerge for a few moments. Remove the bread from the egg mixture and put into the skillet.

3. Fry the bread, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Serve the French toast with homemade preserves.