Monday, July 13, 2009

♫ Animal Crackers in My Toast ♫

Wait. That's not how the song goes?

Meh, I was never a fan of Shirley Temple anyway.

Ok but really, I thought it'd be a cute title (and I'm really not a fan of Shirley). I made French toast for dinner, because I never got up to see breakfast time. I made it extra special by coating the toasts in crushed animal crackers before cooking! It added a subtle crunch and layer of flavor. Making this recipe up also helped me get rid of some animal crackers that I impulsively bought by the huge bagful yesterday (I was depressed and wanted to munch, shut up).

Served with maple syrup, strawberry preserves and blueberries.

I'm slowly trying to build up my tolerance for lactose, so I ate my toast with a glass of milk. Uh ohhh..

I found that blue plate in a deep, dark compartment of our dining room buffet. I thought it was pretty neat with its "cracked" texture and all, but I bet it bothers some of you that its color clashes with the blueberries. And I bet it also bothers some of you that the title is grammatically incorrect. Whatever, don't chap my pants about it.

...Wait. That's not how the saying goes?

Dang.

Animal Cracker French Toast
Makes 4 slices
4 slices of white or whole wheat bread (or anything. Brioche is even better, but we don't have that. Oh! Sourdough or Texas Toast would be great too)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp sugar or sugar substitute
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
a tiny pinch of salt
1 cup animal crackers
butter (preferably unsalted) for cooking

Pour animal crackers into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and crush with blunt object such as a rolling pin (I used a meat mallet on the animals because I'm sadistic like that--- but not the sexual kind, you dirty clown). Alternatively, pulse very slightly in a food processor. Pour crushed crackers into a shallow plate/bowl.
Set a pan or griddle on medium-low. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt together. Take note of the cinnamon's tendency to clump together-- you'll prob need to whisk mixture before each dipping. One by one, dip both sides of bread in mixture and let excess drip off. Then, dip both sides in animal crackers and gently press on.
Melt a small pat of butter (1 for each slice) in hot pan and place toast[s] in. It is very important to leave some elbow room between toasts, or else your crap will be as pale and soggy as... anything that's pale and soggy? Cook until golden and flip to cook other side.
Serve w/ maple syrup and jam/preserves, fresh fruit, butter, cream cheese, etc.

French Toast TIPS:
  • An alternative to animal cracker crust is cornflake crust, which I've seen floating around the intarweb. FROSTED Flakes would be even better. As a matter of fact, try a buncha different crushed up cereals. Just make sure you don't crush them too finely, or you'll end up with dust.
  • When using regular sandwich bread, DO NOT soak in egg mixture for a long time. Your bread will disintegrate. BUT, if you're using a thick bread such as Brioche, Texas Toast, French baguette, or challah, soak longer.
  • If you want a thick, rich french toast that has a custardy center, use the thick breads listed above after they are slightly old/stale. This way, soaking won't destroy the texture of the bread, and the center will retain more egg mixture when cooking.
  • If you want an eggier french toast, reduce milk to 1/3 cup. The less milk you put, the longer you can soak (especially with thicker toast).
  • Another delicious way to have french toast is by "stuffing" it; simply place a filling on top of one slice of bread, top with another slice, and continue with regular steps. Try stuffing with cream cheese + fruit/jam, nutella, etc.
  • Turn French toast into a legit dessert by adding a scoop of ice cream.

Random food fact (via Wiki): In Brazil, French toast is called "rabanada" and follows the Portuguese recipe. It is quite often used to celebrate a birth, as well as at Christmas and New Year celebrations.


Cheers,
T

15 comments:

  1. may i ask why there needs to be room between the toasts? i don't get how it will affect it.. please enlighten me! i want to make this at school!! hah

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  2. hyekypoooo! hehe i miss you alreaday.

    there needs to be some breathing room between the toasts so they brown up nicely. kinda like if you crowded your pan with too many potatoes, there'd be too much moisture/crowding and they wouldn't get any color (or flavor! since caramelization=flavor). but cooking 2-3 at a time is fine. i just meant don't squish em in to fit :)

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  3. The blueberries and plate don't clash at all. It is a fabulous shot. After spending several weeks in the hospital and still having trouble keeping food down, discovering TasteSpotting & your French Toast is sure to bring back my appetite.

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  4. OH YES!! This sounds like a great idea!!! Man, all of a sudden I want breakfast for dinner tonight!

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  5. Trish I love the way you blog! So enjoyable :] Aaaand, I was a shameless Shirley Temple fan, haha. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure why :P

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  6. Truffuls- Thanks so much for the kind words! I hope you recuperate well :)


    Euniceee- it is a painful love, then -_-

    Liesl- Try it sometime! I think it'll definitely be better with a crunchy cereal.

    Christy- thank youuu :) and you know what, i don't have a good reason for not liking Shirley Temple. I think she just freaks me out for some reason. hehehe. miss you! how's mexico?

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  7. it's quite entertaining to my eyes...when can I get to taste it, Trish?

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  8. Dad????

    you dont have to call me trish.. hahah. how about saturday morning before we go to the airport?

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  9. i like to keep my egg and milk separate in 2 bowls...ill quickly dunk the bread in a milk+syrup mixture (syrup is easier to mix w/ milk, since u dont need to dissolve it)...and then take it for a swim in a bowl of beaten egg...this way when the bread hits the pan, the outer egg layer cooks and seals in all that moisture in the french toast. drown in some mo' syrup and devour.

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  10. dang mike.. you got your french toast techniques down pat. thanks for the tip, i think im gonna try that for tomorrow mohningggg :D

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  11. It was awesome french toast! Even though you had used the cereal instead of the animal crackers, mom and I enjoyed it very much yesterday morning!

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  12. do you use a DSLR, or a regular point-n-shoot digital camera to take pictures? how many megapixel?

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  13. hi, foodlover! do i know you, or are you just stoppin' by? either way helloooo :)

    i use a regular point and shoot. an avg/crappy one at that.. i know it's a sony cybershot dsc (7-8 megapixels), don't remember the specific model. but i bought it 2 years ago.

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