Torrijas Spanish Dessert Food

TORRIJAS: SPANISH STYLE FRENCH TOAST WITH CINNAMON AND HONEY

Steps:

• Bring the milk, ½ cup of sugar, lemon and orange peel, and spices (cardamom seeds and star anise) to a slow simmer.
• Cut the bread in thick slices.
• When the milk mixture has been simmering for about 15 minutes, turn off the heat and soak the slices of bread in this mixture. Be careful not to completely wet them to the point that they will break apart, but try to get them to absorb as much milk as possible.
• Let the slices of wet bread rest and cool (some liquid may be lost).
• Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and dip the bread slices in the egg mixture. In the meantime, heat up about ½ an inch of the olive oil in a deep, heavy pan on medium-high heat.
• Fry the slices two by two, flipping them halfway so that both sides are nice and crisp.
• Let the torrijas rest on paper towels to absorb excess oil. In another bowl mix the remaining sugar (1/2 cup) with the cinnamon.
• Cover the slices in the cinnamon sugar mixture and reserve.
• Finally, make the syrup. Take the remaining cinnamon and sugar from coating the torrijas and add it to a medium-sized pot. Add a bit more sugar to completely cover the bottom of the pot if necessary.
• Add 2 cups of warm water to the sugar and bring it to a boil.
• Add the honey (you can add more or less depending on preference).
• Allow the syrup to simmer for about 30 minutes until it reduces to a syrup-like consistency. It won't be a very thick syrup, but it shouldn't be too watery.
• Take the syrup off of the heat and after about 15 minutes spoon it over the French toast. The torrijas should be completely soaked in syrup. Allow them to completely cool before putting them into the refrigerator.
• Refrigerate the torrijas for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Enjoy within two or three days for best quality! (I doubt they'll last that long anyway!)

EASY SPANISH BREAD PUDDING (TORRIJAS)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Pour milk into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add egg and beat together. Add vanilla extract, if using.
• Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to cover the bottom and heat on medium.
• Place one slice bread in milk-egg mixture and quickly flip it over with a fork.
• If bread is more than a day old, you might need to soak for 2 to 3 minutes or more, so that it softens up. Be careful that bread does not soften so much that it crumbles when lifted out of the bowl.
• Carefully lift bread out of mixture and let excess milk drain before placing bread in frying pan. Repeat for each of the other slices.
• After 2 to 3 minutes, check bottom of bread. As the slices turn golden, turn each one.
• Remove each piece from pan and place on a plate. Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon. If you prefer, drizzle honey over top. Garnish with fresh fruit and serve immediately.

TORRIJAS (SPANISH DESSERT)

Steps:

• 1. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. Lay the slices flat in a 9x13-inch baking dish in a single layer. (The slices can touch, but don't let slices overlap; use a second dish if needed). Set dish aside. Peel the lemon, and cut the peel into thick strips. (You won't use the lemon pulp for this recipe, but you can save it to use for another use.)
• 2. Place milk, honey, cinnamon sticks and strips of lemon peel in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer 10 minutes. Let the milk mixture cool about 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and chunks of lemon peel, then pour the milky mixture over the top of baguette slices. Set aside about 15 minutes to allow the slices soak up all the milky mixture.
• 3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• 4. Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl. Dip each baguette slice in the egg mixture and then place several slices in the hot skillet, and cook about 5 minutes or until the bottoms are browned. Gently flip, and cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until the other side is browned. Add more oil if needed to prevent sticking. You might have to cook them in batches, depending on skillet size.
• 5. Place the cooked Torrijas on a flat platter. Dust the surface with a light sprinkling of ground cinnamon, then drizzle honey on top. Set aside to cool completely. The honey should soak into the bread slices over time, which is OK because it makes the Torrijas sweeter.

TORRIJAS WITH SHERRY

Steps:

• In a wide, shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, milk, golden caster sugar and sherry. Cut each slice of bread in two and dip them into the egg mix, turning to make sure they get a good coating on either side. Soak bread in egg mixture for 10 mins to absorb the liquid (carefully turn them over from time to time and make sure they don't get too soggy).
• Heat 1½ tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the bread for about 3 mins on each side until dark golden and crisp on the edge. Keep the slices warm in a low oven as you cook the rest.
• Divide the torrijas between plates and dust with the icing sugar. Serve with crème fraîche or Greek yogurt on the side.