4 sl Stale French bread; (about
-1-1/4 inches thick)
1 c Milk
2 lg Eggs; well-beaten
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 ts Vanilla extract
2 tb Butter
2 tb Vegetable oil
2 ts Powdered sugar; mixed with
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
This is the local version of French toast, made with stale French bread.
Pain perdu got its start as a way of using up leftover bread. We like it so
much that we buy extra French bread and set it on the kitchen counter to
get stale so we can make pain perdu, or sometimes bread pudding.
If you live outside New Orleans and can’t get our local French bread,
substitute your own locally available French or Italian bread. Don’t use
sourdough. Let the butter and oil get sizzling hot in the skillet before
adding the soaked slices. Keep the fried slices warm in a 200 degree F oven
while you finish cooking the rest.
In a large bowl combine the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla and mix
thoroughly. Soak the slices of stale French bread in the mixture for a few
minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy skillet and add the oil. When the
butter and oil mixture is very hot, fry the soaked bread slices one or two
at a time on each side, until golden brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon and
powdered sugar mixture just before serving. Serve with Louisiana cane syrup
or pancake syrup. Serves 4.
Yields
4 Servings