It has been a long time since I've been here, actually August 16, 2012, which, coincidentally, coincides with about the same time I started designing a rather large project in Baltimore. There is no doubt that project took up much of my working and non-working hours but that project is 'out the door' and under construction and I am hoping I have a little more time on my hands to start pursing things I enjoy, other than work that is. One of those things is cooking and sharing my experiences with family, friends and complete strangers. I'm not a professional cook, photographer or writer (although I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once) but I do own a computer, keyboard and internet connection. And as long as Blogger doesn't get disgusted or embarrassed with my blog, I'll keep trudging along.
| Browsers Used |
And speak about Blogger, do you know that now have a stat section that keeps track of hits per day, month and year?
| Web Hits per Day |
I didn't know that either, maybe if I checked in more often it wouldn't be much of a surprise. For instance I was pleasantly surprised to find out I have approximately 50 page hits yesterday alone, almost 800 for the month and over 42,000 over the life of the blog. (I also noticed for Browsers Used not one came from Internet Explorer, what's up with that?) I realize for most blogs that would be a punch in the gut for the lack of traffic but for me it makes me feel good that people are actually paying attention and checking out my posts. Maybe I'll start to allow advertising and then Google can start sending me a check every month. I'll bet it gets up to 10 to 20 cents extra income per month. Retirement here I come.
That's enough idle chatter for now let's get on with why we're really here, French Toast. Why French Toast to get started again? Because just like getting your day started right with breakfast I thought I would get this blog re-started right, with a breakfast post.
Every good recipe needs a good cast of characters and this one is no exception. The cast for this episode, besides the obvious bread, includes, in no particular order:
Half and Half (I know I have milk in the picture because when we decided to make French Toast it's all we had)
Eggs
Honey
Salt
If you really want the full recipe you can visit my boy's, Alton Brown, web page at Food Network and download, print, save the recipe or whatever else floats your boat. The problem with this recipe is it doesn't properly explain how he actually prepares the French Toast. If you want to see the original Good Eats episode click on this link from Cooking Channel and you can watch. I promise it doesn't take that long and besides in good ole Alton Brown fashion, it's entertaining.
The first thing you must do, the night before you go to bed, is to mix up all the ingredients and make a custard. The custard needs time to meld, coexist, intertwine so all ingredients get along and please don't forget to store it in the fridge. Also, to be done the night before, set out the bread on a rack. You want it stale and in our case a little hard. Don't worry if it is a little hard in the morning the custard will do its thing and you'll end up with perfect French Toast.
The next morning it's time to get down to business. Soak the bread in the custard for 30 seconds on each side and then place back on the wire rack for a couple of minutes before cooking. Place a little butter in the frying pan, cook on each side until golden brown and place back onto the wire rack to be inserted into the oven at 375 degrees F. for 5-7 minutes.
After it comes out of the oven it's time to dig in. Crispy outside, creamy inside, I'd say just about perfect. My fork rating: 4.5 out of 5, hard to get much better than this. My choice of topping is plain old maple syrup, the real stuff. Some people like powdered sugar or fruit and I say knock yourself out but I like my plain old maple syrup. The next time you can't decide what you want for breakfast try some French Toast. It's quick, it's easy, it's delicious and most importantly it's a good way to start off the day. Or in my case, re-start a blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment