Santa Fe French Toast Food

SANTA FE (RAILROAD) FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position rack in middle of the oven.
• Arrange bread in a single layer in a baking dish.
• Whisk together cream, eggs and salt and pour over the bread.
• Soak bread, turning once, until most of liquid is absorbed but bread is not falling apart, about 2 minutes.
• With a slotted spatula, carefully transfer soaked bread to tray.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat until registers 325 degrees.
• Fry bread 3 or 4 pices at a time, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per batch, maintaining 325 degrees.
• Transfer to paper towel to drain briefly then arrange in a single lager on baking sheet.
• Once all bread is fried, bake toast until puffed, about 4 minutes.
• Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with syrup or honey.

SANTA FE FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• 1. The night before, whip together the cream, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until frothy.
• 2. If the bread is not pre-sliced, then slice the bread into 3/4-inch slices. Then cut each bread slice diagonally from bottom corner to opposite top corner, to make triangle-shaped pieces.
• 3. Soak bread in the cream mixture overnight. (If the bread is really soft, reduce the soaking time to 2 hours.) If slices float to the top, push them down with another slice of bread, until all slices are completely covered by the cream mixture. Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• 4. When ready to cook, lightly brown both sides of each bread slice in a skillet. Then place the browned slices on a lightly buttered baking sheet.
• 5. Bake in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with ground cinnamon and a light dusting of powdered sugar. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or your favorite fruit preserves.
• 6. TIP - the original recipe calls for pain perdu, or "lost bread" in French which suggests making use of last night's leftover bread. Day-old, thick-sliced bread works best and holds up to soaking much better than thinly-sliced fresh, soft breads.

FRENCH TOAST SANTA FE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut off and discard crusts from bread, then diagonally halve slices. Arrange in 1 layer in a baking pan.
• Whisk together cream, eggs, and salt, then pour over bread. Soak bread, turning once, until most of liquid is absorbed but bread is not falling apart, about 2 minutes.
• Carefully transfer soaked bread with a slotted spatula to a tray.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until thermometer registers 325°F.
• Fry bread, 3 pieces at a time, turning over once, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. (Return oil to 325°F between batches.) Transfer toast to paper towels to drain briefly, then arrange in 1 layer on a baking sheet.
• Once all bread is fried, bake toast in middle of oven until puffed, about 4 minutes. Serve dusted with confectioners sugar.