Slow it Down Sunday
For me, Sunday has always been a special day that tends to run a little slower than other days of the week. It is a great time to take a breath and either enjoy a proper breakfast or share a special Sunday dinner with your family. If you do happen to find yourself pressed for time, considering making the French toast batter the night before since this will speed up the production time.
With this dish I will often serve a simple melon and berry salad with fresh mint, a choice of spicy sausage or crisp bacon, and set out optional toppers such as sliced banana, strawberries, wet nuts or fresh made blueberry syrup, in addition to the warm maple syrup. If you want to go all out you can add scrambled eggs with cheese, southern style grits, smoked salmon/trout tray, biscuits with either clotted cream and strawberry jam or country sausage gravy. Wow! Of course in my house, I will make loads of fresh hot coffee, orange juice and offer Bloody Mary’s, Mimosa’s or a Ramos Gin Fizz (for those nursing a hangover).
Whether you attend a religious service or not, Sundays should be taken as a day of rest and rejuvenation for the soul.
Gather all of the ingredients.
Zest a whole orange to make 1 tbsp of orange zest. Be sure not to cut into the white pith of the orange. This can be very bitter.
Add the whole eggs to a mixing bowl and beat briefly with a whisk.
Add the remaining ingredients as mentioned in the recipe. Whisk until the batter is thoroughly combined.
I like to use a casserole dish to soak the bread into the batter. Here I’m using whole wheat bread, but nearly any slice sandwich style bread can be used. Challah, brioche, potato, sour dough, pain de mie, or even a French baguette will work great for French toast.
Flip the bread to soak both sides evenly. Test the bread every now and then to make sure it’s not getting too soft.
Melt butter in a large skillet or saute pan. If the butter becomes too dark in between sessions of cooking the French toast, wipe out the burned bits and start over with fresh butter.
Do not over crowd the pan. Give each slice plenty of room to cook over medium high heat.
Gild the Lilly! I will add just a bit more of the batter to the french toast while it is cooking to make it extra flavorful.
Flip the French toast to cook both sides evenly. Avoid pressing down on the toast and lower the temperature to cook the batter all the way through. If you are cooking for a large group, you can transfer these to a treated (Pam) sheet pan to keep in a warm oven while you continue to cook, so everyone can have a hot serving.
This is one of those dishes in which you may find no one speaking for a few minutes while they enjoy the first bites. There are many different types of French toast. This is just one of those that I’m sure you and your guests will enjoy.
Grand Marnier French Toast
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter for cooking
- 4 whole eggs, large size
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier you can substitute Hiram Walker triple sec or Cointreau
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest the zest from 1 medium to large orange
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 slices bread
- 1/4 cup sugar, powdered/confectioners/icing
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, warm splurge for the real deal
Instructions
- Mix together the eggs, half and half, Grand Marnier, sugar, orange zest and vanilla extract in a medium mixing bowl of an electric mixer, hand mixer or whisk. Whisk until all the ingredients have been thoroughly combined.
- Pour the egg/orange mixture into a large casserole dish.
- Depending on the bread, place a few slices into the egg/orange mixture and let it soak for about a minute.
- Turn the slices over and soak the other side. The longer you soak the bread (without it falling apart) the better the French toast will taste.
- Heat up the 4 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. (You may need additional butter between batches of French toast. If you do, first clean out any burned or dark bits before adding more butter so each portion of French toast is cooked in clean hot butter.) If you are cooking the French toast in batches, keep them warm on a clean sheet pan in a warm oven on its lowest setting.
- Once all of the French toast is cooked, arrange on a serving platter or individual plates. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes