Caramelized French Toast With Vanilla Pears Oh My Food

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I'VE EVER MADE

Steps:

• Choose your bread. If you like very thick french toast (you should try it at least once!), find a local bakery and get yourself a loaf of challah or brioche bread (buy a day-old loaf if they have it.) I don't like using French bread or the regular loaves you find in the deli at the grocery store; the crusts turn out too chewy. You want a nice soft edge. If you can't get to a bakery, head to the grocery store and buy the thickest and softest white bread you can find. (3/4 inch or thicker.) Texas toast is great. I like to use the Artesano brand of bread; they sell a pre-sliced brioche loaf that is pretty legit. But their white bread is also nice and soft. See photos.
• Slice your bread with a serrated knife if you are working with a whole loaf. See photos. I like my slices to be about 1 and 1/4 inch thick, which feels a little ridiculous, but trust me. You can even go up to 2 inches if you're feeling wild. Don't slice thinner than 3/4 inch.
• Set your bread aside, spread out so that it gets a little dried out. Day old bread is great for French toast. In France, they call this dish "Lost Bread" because it's what you make when you have dried out bread to use up. (I experimented with toasting the bread first, but thought it dried out the finished product too much.)
• Make the egg mixture. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl,* whisk together 3 egg yolks, 1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream* or half & half, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, if you like. Whisk until it is completely smooth and the cinnamon is well incorporated.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow dish like a pie plate, or an 8x8 inch pan. Place a slice of bread in the mixture and let it sit there for 10 to 20 seconds. How long you soak it depends on how thick your bread is. It should be soft when you touch it, but still hold itself together. Flip the bread and soak the other side. You can start cooking the French toast right away, or you can place the soaked bread on a baking sheet or plate while you finish soaking all of them.
• Cook the French toast: Heat an electric griddle or large 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any oil with a high smoke point.) Swirl it around until the pan is coated. Place the French toast on the pan with 1 to 2 inches in between each slice of bread. Cook on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes. The timing depends on your oven or griddle, so stick around and keep an eye on it.
• Caramelize. When the bottom of the first side is LIGHT brown (we are going to cook this side twice), sprinkle about a half tablespoon granulated sugar on the top (raw) side of the bread. Flip the toast, sugar side down, and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Be sure to swirl the pan so oil re-coats it, or add more butter/oil if necessary). Then, sprinkle another half tablespoon of sugar on the cooked side, and flip it over again so that it lightly caramelizes the first side.
• Keep your toast warm. Preheat your oven to the "keep warm" setting, about 170 degrees F. As you finish frying the toast, transfer each one to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Keep toast warm in the oven until ready to serve.
• I honestly don't even put maple syrup on caramelized French toast. I feel like it doesn't really need it, plus it makes the caramel edge not as crunchy. I like to eat it plain, or with a little jam. But maple syrup is really delicious if you are in the mood! A sprinkle of powdered sugar and a berry garnish never hurt either.
• Keep leftovers stored covered in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or the toaster. Or heat your oven to 350 and heat the toast all together on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, until the toast is warmed, about 5-10 minutes.

CARAMELIZED FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Melt two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan or skillet over medium high heat.
• Beat together eggs, milk and salt. Dip bread one at a time into egg mixture and fry until light brown and egg is cooked.
• After 4 slices of bread have been cooked, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cook remaining bread slices until light brown on both sides and egg is cooked.
• After all bread slices have been cooked and removed from pan, add brown sugar to pan. Stir until melted and sticky. Add water and stir. Place French toast in caramel sauce. Turn to coat, then remove from pan. Serve.

CARAMELIZED FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Melt two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan or skillet over medium high heat.
• Beat together eggs, milk and salt.
• Dip bread one at a time into egg mixture and fry until light brown and egg is cooked.
• After 4 slices of bread have been cooked, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
• Cook remaining bread slices until light brown on both sides and egg is cooked.
• After all bread slices have been cooked and removed from pan, add brown sugar to pan. Stir until melted and sticky.
• Add water and stir.
• Place French toast in caramel sauce. Turn to coat, then remove from pan. Serve.

CARAMEL FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange bread over caramel., In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and salt; pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

PEAR-STUFFED FRENCH VANILLA TOAST

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter. Spread onto bottom of a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Layer with pear, raisins, bread cubes and pecans., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, ice cream, cinnamon and vanilla until blended; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

CARAMELIZED FRENCH TOAST WITH VANILLA PEARS - OH MY!

Steps:

• Melt 2 tbls of the butter in a skillet.
• Add pears, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of the vanilla.
• Simmer until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer the pears onto a plate.
• Let them stand a couple minutes to drain, then pour into juices back into the skillet.
• Using medium-high heat, cook the juices another 4-5 minutes (don't stop stirring!) until they are thick and caramelized.
• Remove from heat.
• Beat eggs, half-and-half, sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and cinnamon in a shallow pan.
• Add the bread slices and let them soak for 2 minutes.
• Then turn the slices over and let them soak another 2 minutes.
• Melt 2 tbls butter in large skillet.
• Sprinkle 1/2 tbls of brown sugar on each side of the bread.
• Cook over medium high heat about 2-3 minutes per side until crisp.
• Place the bread on plates and top with a couple pears, the carmel sauce and some vanilla ice cream if desired.
• ENJOY!