New Orleans Pain Perdue - Traditional recipe

While French toast really isn't French at all, there are some links to French cuisine through dishes like pain perdue which means "lost bread" in French in which stale bread was soaked and then cooked to make use of it.  Pain perdue features the use of French bread and a liquor-laden custard for soaking it.  It makes an excellent breakfast entree. 

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. Bourbon whiskey or brandy
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
8 1" slices of French bread cut on the bias
Unsalted butter
Vegetable Oil
Powdered sugar
Sliced berries
Maple syrup

Whisk eggs, milk, cream, liquor, sugar, vanilla and salt in a shallow dish such as a pie plate.

Place bread slices into the mixture and soak them for several minutes, turning as needed.  They should be saturated but not falling apart.

Put some oil and butter in a skillet or griddle at medium heat and cook French toast slices until gold brown and lightly crisp.  Serve immediately topped with powdered sugar, berries and maple syrup.  Cooked toast slices can be held on a buttered cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven if necessary as the toast slices are cooked.  Serves 4.

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