Simply Scrumptious French Toast

When I was very young, maybe 5 years old, a family friend was getting married. My mother and grandmother were both invited to the bridal shower, and they brought me along with them. Now, being my first ever bridal shower and being rather young, I was expecting to be put in a corner with some toys and ignored all evening. Imagine my surprise when everyone actually treated me the same as the other guests, including me in the games and everything. But then they announced that one of the activities planned was to make a gift for the bride to be, and I was a bit frightened at first, because I wasn’t sure what to do.

Everyone was given a printed note card on which to write their favorite recipe, so that she would have a variety of meals to cook for her new husband. “I’m only 5,” I thought, “I don’t know how to cook, I’ll be the only one who doesn’t have a recipe to write up!” But then my mother pointed out to me that I actually did know a recipe. Of course, I didn’t know exact quantities for the ingredients, but with just a little spelling help from my mother, I wrote up the recipe all by myself. Everyone was amazed and impressed. Since then, I’ve refined the recipe a little bit, adding more spices and flavorings, but I still won’t give exact quantities. Because one of the first lessons I learned about becoming a good cook is to use measurements as a guideline only, and the second lesson was that everyone’s tastes are different. And this recipe is absolutely perfect for making adjustments based on how much of each ingredient you have on hand, on how many servings you need, and on your personal tastes. So without further ado, I give you The Non-Gourmet™’s Simply Scrumptious French Toast:

Ingredients:
Sliced bread – 2 to 4 slices per person – any kind will do, but thick slices are better than thin; my preference is a thick-sliced sourdough
Eggs – 1 to 3 eggs per 4 slices of bread – the thicker your bread, the more eggs you need to use
Milk – 1 to 2 tbsp per 4 slices of bread – more or less (I usually don’t measure, just pour)
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Allspice (optional)
Ground Nutmeg (optional)
Vanilla Extract and/or Maple Extract (optional)
Cooking oil (corn, canola, peanut or grape seed are good choices) (optional)

Prepare egg batter:
In a wide, shallow dish (such as a pie plate or casserole dish), beat the eggs with a whisk or fork, just until whites and yolks are combined. Beat in enough milk to make a creamy mixture. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and (optionally) sprinkle lightly with allspice and nutmeg. Add a drop or two of Vanilla and/or Maple extract, if desired – go lightly on these, a little goes a long way. Beat the mixture to distribute the spices and extract. Since the spices have a tendency to float to the surface, you will need to lightly beat the mixture before dipping each slice, otherwise the first few slices will be heavily spiced and the last few slices will have very little spice. If you are making a large batch, you may need to add more cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice after dipping and cooking several slices.

Dip and cook bread:
Heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat (you can tell it is hot enough when a drop of water dances across it). Pour in just enough oil to lightly coat the surface of the pan or griddle – if your pan or griddle is well-seasoned cast iron or has a non-stick coating, this is optional. Lay a slice of bread in the egg batter, then turn it over. Lift it by one corner (if your hands are clean and you don’t mind getting a little egg on them, you can use a fork to lift the corner, then hold the bread against the fork with your thumb; if you’d rather, you can use tongs for this, but be gentle with them) and let the excess batter drip off. Place the battered bread in the hot pan or griddle. If you have room in your pan, you can cook several slices at a time. Cook each slice for about a minute, or until browned on the bottom, then flip over to cook the other side. When both sides are browned, remove the slice(s) from the pan and serve hot. These are great topped with powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit, or jam.