One of my favorite memories of growing up was French toast + Saturday morning cartoons. And when French toast was made on Saturdays, man was it the best day, ever! My brother and I would get up at about the crack of dawn to watch TV. If it were a regular weekday my mom would go bonkers trying to pry us away from our sheets! But Saturdays were special. It was the only day of the week we got to watch Power Ranger reruns (I’m a dinosaur, I know) while the smell of fresh buttery French toast hit the air and sent us running! Mom’s French toast is and always was, panfried. In fact, I don’t think i’ve EVER had baked French toast. Nor do I want to! I’m a sucker for crispy edges that only come from panfrying. And the custard-like soft center with a slightly burnt crust. Weird? I love when the sugar caramelizes and gets the bread crust crazy crispy! Crazy crispy? What in the world? I could probably make a meal outta that stuff! The baked version offers no such thing! Both French toast and Crème Brûlée are anything but new. When you combine the two they are totally a home-run. It’s dessert for breakfast. And who doesn’t want that? This recipe is based on my mom’s with a few added ingredients. The egg mixture is simple: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. I strongly suggest half-and-half because you want that real crème brûlée flavor. The thicker, the better. Heavy cream would be amazing. My waistline would hate me for days! The vanilla greek yogurt provides an amazing flavor that I couldn’t achieve any other way. These crème brûlée french toasts are pretty sweet on their own. They won’t require any additional syrup. If you would like to serve them with syrup cut the sugar back to 1/4 cup. The egg mixture can be made the night before and refrigerated for an even quicker breakfast/brunch. Grab some French bread. Slice the bread about 1-1.5 inches in thickness. I like to toast my French bread, this is magic, I tell you! Just slightly. Don’t need to get any color on it. If you have stale bread then use it without toasting. Otherwise, try this neat little trick! Heat up the pan on medium-low. Toss a pad of butter in there along with about a teaspoon of oil (for every 3 slices). Soak the slices of crusty bread one at a time in the egg mixture for a few minutes, transfer to skillet immediately. Cook the french toast for 3 – 4 minutes per side. If you like crispier, slightly bitter edges like I do, cook 5 minutes per side. At this point, tummies growl and husbands appear in the kitchen. Aroma therapy with a side for breakfast, enjoy!
Crème Brûlée French toast doesn’t require any maple syrup for serving. It’s sweet enough on it’s own. If you would like to serve with syrup, cut back the sugar to 1/4 cup.Serve french toast with powdered sugar, butter, and fresh fruit.
