Breakfast for dinner, part I

Dylan asked for my French toast recipe, which is funny because I don't remember any of you liking French toast all that much (Cassie won't eat it at all). Since we haven't made it in a while, and have three different recipes in my "favorites" binder, I tried them all again.

The first was Bell-less, Whistle-less, Damn Good French Toast, from Food52 (video here), which is the simplest, using only two ingredients for the batter. It was good, but we found it a little too egg-y. The second was from the short-lived In the Weeds blog by local chef Tim Burgess. The recipe is different because it uses the juice of a clementine, and we liked that one a lot. It's worth a try for a change, but the clear winner was from Cook's Illustrated. It's a bit fussy as usual, but it makes the tastiest French toast, crisp on the outside and custard-y on the inside like it should be. I've simplified it to take out some of the fussiness, but you can see the original recipe being made in the video on this page. The Cook's Illustrated recipe uses egg yolks only to reduce the egg-yness, so I also made a simple egg white omelet to use up the egg whites.

French Toast 

Adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (2011)

You can also cook the French toast on an electric griddle set to 350 degrees. French toast is supposed to be made with stale bread (the French call it pain perdu, or "lost bread"). The original recipe calls for toasting the bread in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes to dry it out, but I think that's more trouble than it's worth. If you want to make bread stale, just put it in the fridge for a day or two before you make the French toast, or slice it in the morning and leave it out on the counter all day before making the French toast that evening. It will be plenty stale by then. Instructions for substituting for whole milk are on the "Substitutions" page. I used 280 grams of 1% milk plus 83 grams of half-and-half, since those are the two things we always have around. Challah makes the best French toast. You can substitute a decent white sandwich bread like Arnold Country White, but it's not nearly as good. I also made some for Mom using lightly toasted Trader Joe's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread, and she liked it just fine.

1½ cups (363 grams) whole milk (see note)
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons (40 grams) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 28 grams) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
1 tablespoon (~12g) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine salt
1 loaf good-quality challah bread, cut into about eight ½-inch-thick slices (see note)
Maple syrup, for serving

    1. Set a wire rack inside a 13-by-18-inch baking sheet. Place inside the oven set to its lowest setting (200 degrees or below).
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Keep the whisk handy.
    3. Heat a good pat of butter (about ½ tablespoon) in a 12-inch cast-iron or stainless-steel (not nonstick) skillet over medium heat (see note).
    4. Meanwhile, soak two pieces of bread in the milk mixture just until the bread is moistened throughout but not falling apart. Very gently, pinch the bread with your fingertips to help draw the liquid into the center so the bread is evenly moistened but not oversaturated (see the technique about 1:24 into this video). You shouldn't be able to feel any dry pockets as you're pinching.
    5. Swirl the butter to coat the bottom of the skillet. Pick up the soaked bread, allowing any excess milk mixture to drip back into the bowl, and transfer to the hot skillet. Fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. At some point, you will probably have to turn the heat down a notch or two to maintain the right amount of heat.
    6. When the first two pieces are cooked, transfer them to the baking sheet in the oven while you make the rest of the French toast. Repeat the process with the remaining bread, re-whisking the batter before each time you soak more bread. Serve warm with real maple syrup, not the horrible corn-syrup-laden stuff your mom likes. Serves 4 dainty eaters.

Egg White Omelet

Adapted from Renee Schettler in the Washington Post, 12/29/04 (adapted from Food & Wine, April 2003)

If you want to fill the omelet with something, like grated cheese, have it ready to go before you start on the omelet, which takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. The Washington Post article accompanying the recipe has some more ideas for fillings, like avocado and feta. The Food & Wine recipe has sauteed shallot and wild mushrooms in the omelet itself, rather than as a filling. If you have an enameled cast-iron skillet like the one Great Grandma Sisi gave me, you can finish the omelet under the broiler instead, as in the Washington Post and Food & Wine recipes.

3 large egg whites
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

    1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees, or whatever is the maximum temperature for your nonstick skillet (see note). In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, salt, and pepper until very frothy.
    2. Heat the oil or butter in an 8-inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium heat until melted. Pour the egg whites into the skillet and cook until almost opaque. As the whites set on the bottom, lift the edges with a spatula to allow the uncooked whites to flow underneath, just as you would with a frittata.
    3. When the bottom is set, but the whites on top are not completely cooked, transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the top is puffed and just barely set, no more than a few minutes. Remove carefully from the oven. If desired, top with a filling (see note). Fold one-third of the omelet onto itself, then roll it out onto a plate in a neat shape, folding the remaining third over. Serve promptly.