Heat up January days with French toast

My family likes the basic version, the one our mom used to make with stale bread dipped into an egg-milk mixture with a dash of cinnamon then fried up in a pan with real butter and enjoyed smothered with real maple syrup and maybe even a dollop of whipped cream. Does that sound like post-holiday diet food? Not!

A nice thing about French toast is the convenience of making it up the night before and letting it sit in a casserole dish in the fridge to bake in the morning. We sometimes add some brown sugar, melted butter and pecans to the bottom of the baking pan, which gives it a nice flavor of pralines. The recipe below calls for sourdough bread, but any type of rustic bread such as French or Italian will do just fine.

It’s easy to dress up French toast. Top the slices with fresh raspberries or blueberries and sprinkle with powdered sugar for a colorful dish.
For variety, try using thick slices of bread with seeds on top, raisin bread, sliced cinnamon rolls or even pound cake. Instead of milk, try dipping the bread in some leftover holiday eggnog. For a delightful crunch, dip the egg-soaked bread into some finely chopped nuts or crushed cereal then cook as usual.

Praline French toast
8 eggs
1-1/2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 thick slices sourdough or Italian bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup chopped pecans

With fork, beat eggs and half-and-half or milk in small bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and vanilla. Pour 1/2 of egg mixture into large pan. Arrange bread slices in pan. Trim crusts to fit if necessary. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread. Chill covered, for a few hours. Melt butter in a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, and syrup. Sprinkle pecans over bottom. Place bread slices carefully on top of pecans. Pour any remaining egg mixture over bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until bread is light brown and puffed. To serve, invert toast onto plates and spoon pecans from bottom of dish over toast. Makes eight servings. (Note: The dish makes great leftovers.)


Crunchy coated French toast
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (or more)
Pinch of cinnamon (if desired)
3 or 4 slices bread
2/3 cup sliced almonds, rolled oats or chopped pecans or walnuts
Butter for cooking

In a flat dish, whisk together eggs, salt, vanilla and milk. Coat bread on both sides with egg mixture, soaking it all the way through. Spread nuts or oats on plates. Lay soaked bread on top, then turn over to coat on both sides. Melt butter on hot griddle. Add bread and fry over medium heat for eight to 10 minutes or until coating is golden brown and bread is cooked all the way through. Serve hot with maple syrup or your favorite topping. Serves two or three.


Creamy French toast with apricot sauce
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 slices firm white bread
4 large eggs, beaten with fork
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash nutmeg
Butter
1 12-ounce jar apricot jam
1/2 cup orange juice

Combine cream cheese, nuts (if using) and vanilla. Spread on six slices of bread. Top with remaining six slices. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Dip both sides of each sandwich into mixture. Cook in butter on skillet. Combine jam and orange juice and heat slightly. Serve as a topping for French toast. Serves four to six.


Portia Little is the author of six cookbooks, including “New England Seashore Recipes & Rhyme,” “Bread Pudding Bliss” and “The Easy Vegetarian.” You can contact her at pann-tree@msn.com.