Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hot.

Boy am I slacking on posts lately. Maybe it's because I'm so miserable here. Don't get me wrong I love New Orleans and I'll miss it dearly... but JESUS is it hot here! Heat index included, it is well into the 100s each and every day. It "cools down" at night, but only into the 80s. It. Is. Fucking. Hot.

It's so hot that just thinking about hot how it is makes me sweat a little.

Only about a month left to go though.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Caramelized French Toast w/ Cinnamon and Berries

I don't have anything to say about this one. It was pretty good and I'll probably make it again in a week or two. It's a recipe from Bon Appetit, which I have a subscription to. I took my own photo, and followed my own rules, because I'm a rebel like that I guess. I will post the original recipe that was published in the magazine, with a few notes at the end about what I did differently.

Caramelized French Toast w/ Cinnamon and Berries

7 tbsp butter; room temperature
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 c. milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
8 (1-in. thick) slices of French bread
Powdered sugar
Fresh berries/fruit
Maple syrup

1. Mix the butter and brown sugar in a small bowl to blend.
2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and spices in a larger bowl.
3. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter mixture in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip the bread in the milk mixture, one slice at a time, and place in the pan. Cook until the bottoms are deep brown (but not burned) and flip, about 4 mins.
4. Repeat process until all slices are cooked, keeping toast warm under tin foil.
5. Divide the toast among four plates. Drizzle with maple syrup, and top with berries. Sift powdered sugar over top.

Yields: 4 servings.

*I skipped step one by throwing a dab of butter in the hot skillet and sprinkling sugar over the melted butter. When it starts to bubble, throw the toast in. I also halved the recipe for two people instead, and added mango to the berries. Make sure to separate any toast slices you are keeping warm because the sugar crust will stick and you'll have to rip them apart. It doesn't make for a nice presentation.