French toast

Ingredients

1) 4 eggs 250 ml milk

2) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3) 2 tablespoons caster sugar

4) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 150g butter

5) 4 slices of sourdough bread or thickly sliced white bread

     (French bread stick and turkish bread will also work)

Method:

1. Place the eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and whisk.

2. Heat a frying pan or the flat plate of a barbecue (on lowest setting) and melt the butter. soak  ach slice of bread in the egg mixture until wet through.

3. Place the soaked bread in the pan or on the flat plate and cook until golden brown. turn and  ook the other side. It is important to cook on a low–medium setting so the egg mixture cooks and sets, rather than cooking on a higher heat which will burn the outside and leave the inside soggy.

4. Once cooked, transfer to a plate and serve with your choice of toppings—bacon, maple syrup, honeycomb butter, fresh berries, ice- cream or lemon and sugar—or simply eat it on its own.

HINTS AND TIPS:

* You will need—cutting board, bread knife, weight, spoon and liquid measures, sauté pan or frying pan.

* French toast, like pancakes, is great for a special weekend breakfast. French toast is certainly much easier to prepare than pancakes and is a great place to start for beginner cooks.

* This dish is also known as ‘edgy bread’ in the UK; and in France, it is known as ‘pain perdu’.

* Cooking French toast in butter adds to the richness of the dish.

* Adding milk to the eggs is optional. Using just eggs mixed with the spices and sugar will give a richer and more eggy flavors.

* You could take 2 pieces of bread and sandwich sliced bananas or grated apple between them, then dip the sandwich in the egg mixture before frying.

* For a child’s birthday party, use star- or people shaped cutters to cut shapes from the bread before cooking.

* Try serving French toast as a dessert instead of a breakfast dish.

* French toast is often served as a sweet dish but can work as a savory alternative. Try replacing the cinnamon, vanilla and sugar with 1 cup grated parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Dip the

bread in the egg mixture before cooking.