French Toast Fingers Food

FRENCH TOAST FINGERS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and salt. Spread preserves on 4 slices of bread; top with remaining bread. Trim crusts; cut each sandwich into 3 strips. , Preheat griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease griddle. Dip both sides of strips in egg mixture; place on griddle. Cook bread strips until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. If desired, cut into squares and alternately thread onto skewers with halved strawberries. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST STICKS

Steps:

• Remove crust of each slice, then cut each into 3 equal thick batons.
• Combine the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt in a bowl large enough to roll the bread sticks in.
• Combine the cinnamon and sugar on a plate.
• Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
• Roll the sticks in the egg mixture quickly (do not soak them), shake off excess and place in pan. Cook in 2 batches.
• Turn to cook each side until golden.
• Immediately transfer to the plate with the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. It's important to do this quickly while they are hot straight out of the pan so it sticks.
• Melt remaining butter and cook the remaining french toast sticks.
• Serve immediately with maple syrup to dunk the sticks in.

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.

BREAKFAST FONDUE

Steps:

• Combine peaches, maple syrup, cream cheese, vanilla and cinnamon in a blender or food processor, and with an adult watching purée on high until smooth. It's okay if there are a few lumps of cream cheese showing; they will disappear when you cook the peach mixture in the next step.
• Pour the mixture into a pot. If you are allowed to use the stove, warm it over medium- high heat, stirring often, until the cream cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. If you aren't allowed to use the stove, have an adult help you.
• Serve in a big bowl surrounded by whole-grain pancakes, waffles or French toast fingers, or a combination, for dipping. Use your fingers to dip, but remember, no double-dipping. Serving Size: 1/2-cup fondue; 3 whole-grain mini-pancakes, mini-waffles or French toast fingers.

FRENCH TOAST FINGERS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk and salt; set aside. Spread preserves on four slices of bread; top with the remaining bread. Trim crusts; cut each sandwich into three strips. Dip both sides in egg mixture. Cook on a lightly greased hot griddle for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Beat the eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. Whisk until well blended.
• Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture.
• Melt some butter (or use vegetable oil) over a large skillet on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.
• I prefer to serve with golden syrup.

FRENCH TOAST FINGERS WITH GINGER BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• For the syrup: Place the maple syrup and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ginger and discard. Stir in the bourbon and keep warm while you make the French toast fingers.
• For the French toast: Place two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Slice the brioche into 2-inch slices and then cut each slice into three to four 1-inch-wide fingers. In a large bowl whisk the eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, bourbon and salt. Dunk the fingers into the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, and then place them onto the baking sheet. Bake the fingers until they are firm and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, flipping the fingers over halfway through baking. Serve warm with the syrup.

BABY FRENCH TOAST (EGGY BREAD)

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
• Preheat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add butter.
• One at a time, dip bread and let excess egg mixture dip off.
• Once butter is melted, place bread slices in pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom side is golden brown, but not crisp. Flip bread and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat the process with the second slice, unless you have enough room to do both at the same time.
• Let French toast cool and cut into 4 pieces. You can also cut off the crust for smaller babies.
• Serve with fresh berries, banana slices, a drizzle of nut butter (optional) and yogurt for dipping. If your toddler is old enough and you'd like you can also serve with maple syrup, as a drizzle or for dipping.

FRENCH TOAST FINGERS WITH CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD AND BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (175°C).
• Put the cream, honey, butter, orange zest and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring, and remove from the heat.
• Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
• Pour the hot cream mixture over the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
• Using a bread knife, cut the crust off the brioche loaf to create a square log. Slice the loaf in half lengthways. Spread both halves with chocolate hazelnut spread, like you're making a big sandwich, then add the blueberries to the middle and close the sandwich.
• Soak the brioche loaf in the warm egg custard for 10 minutes, or until it's well soaked.
• Put coconut oil in a medium pan over medium heat and cook the brioche loaf until it's golden brown all over, then finish in the oven for 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and slice into fingers.