french toast with orange

Tomorrow morning is set to be a rainy one here in Brooklyn. Maybe the perfect time to make French toast. French toast is not really the type of thing you should eat all the time, but when you do, you might as well do it up. This version uses a fluffy white artisanal loaf and features the delicious combination of orange, vanilla and maple syrup.

The key is to really get the bread saturated with egg mixture until it is almost falling apart. I fry my French toast in a combination of butter and coconut oil. The coconut oil resists smoking and adds another layer of perfume-y but not over the top flavor. If you don’t happen to have coconut oil, just use something neutral.

French Toast with Orange
(serves 3 or 4)

5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt, heaping if you have a salt tooth like me
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
6-8 thick slices of bread, preferably something fluffy or spongy
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons coconut or neutral oil
a couple grates of orange zest and maple syrup for serving

Put a large platter into the oven and heat it to 170 degrees. Put the biggest frying pan you have on the stove over medium heat while you prepare the French toast. The lengthy pan heating makes for more even heat and perfectly cooked French toast.

Break the eggs in to a large bowl and beat, whipping air into them. Then whisk in the milk and orange juice, and then the salt, sugar and vanilla. Put three of four slices of bread into the egg mixture and soak each side for four or five minutes. When the pieces are thoroughly saturated, heat the butter and oil in the frying pan. Add the french toast, making sure that the pieces are drippy and drizzly when you put them into the pan. Put new slices into the batter to soak. Meanwhile, fry each side until it is seared and golden, then flip and cook the other side. When the pieces are done, carefully transfer them to the heated platter in the oven. Cook the second batch and continue until all the pieces are cooked. If there is leftover liquid, dump it onto the last slices as they cook.

I think French toast holds up well in the oven for 15 minutes or so, if it’s going to be any longer, turn the oven temp up a little. Serve with a grate of zest, a slice of orange, a drizzle of maple syrup, and, if you like to push your luck, slices of bacon.