I don't usually have enough time on weekday mornings to do anything elaborate for brekkers, so I relish the opportunities the weekend brings.
I love waking up early in the morning and making breakfast while everyone else is asleep. I love the quiet of the house and the crackles in the pan. I love the slow evolution of smells that are so much a part of what I believe a weekend breakfast is.
I also love waking up to find breakfast waiting for me. Better yet is waking up because of breakfast smells and crackles.
I love eggs and pancakes, hash browns and bacon.
But, more than anything else, I Love French Toast.
At home, we usually have a little bit of leftover challah bread on Sunday mornings. Not always, that stuff goes fast. But, often there is just enough leftover to make some splendicious delicious French toast.
Of course, during Passover there is no challah and so, seemingly, no French toast.
Well, let me dispel you of that wretched myth! Right here, right now--I will prove it untrue!
Today's Menu:
French Matzo
Last Sunday was the final day of Passover.
Of course, that's when the cravings really hit...man-oh-man, I have never needed French toast as much as I did that morning.
Luckily, because it was the last day, I had good reason to use up my leftover matzo. I could have easily done another matzo brei, or an almond butter and jam sandwich. But, no. I wanted French toast.
So, I decided to give it a try...with matzo. I mean, how could it be bad, right? Sure, it's not gooey bread, but you can't really go wrong with the ingredients. Just marinate some matzo in a mix of milk and eggs, give or take some other flavors. Simple. I mean, French toast is notoriously known as The Easiest And Tastiest [cooked] Breakfast Food In The History Of The World...
From the pictures, French Matzo doesn't look much like anything but sheets of plain ol' matzo. But, these things were actually covered in eggy/milky/cinnamony/juicey goodness--they were anything but plain ol' matzo.
Suffice it to say, this stuff was good.
note: next time I'll try it with warm milk instead of cold--it might soften the matzo a bit more. As the recipe stands, it ends up being a finger food more than a knife-and-fork food...which definitely has its virtues.
The texture was, no surprise, quite different from regular French toast. But, French Matzo has its own thing going on and I wasn't disappointed. Served with a nice pour of maple syrup or a dollop of jam, this recipe is a hit in my book!
Series round-up: All in all, I have to say that, from a culinary standpoint, I am pretty satisfied by how Passover went this year. I came up with a few simple but delicious dishes--some takes on old favorites and some entirely new. It was a good challenge--after a few weeks sans inspiration, it was good to be reminded that sometimes I do have a creative cooking bone in me!
French Matzo[note: the measures here are completely made up. I've never measured when I make French toast. Just crack a couple of eggs and add enough milk to thin it out, but be sure you don't make the mixture mostly milk. This is just a guide. Also, if you have leftover egg-milk mixture save it to make French toast or bread pudding some other time during the week!]
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
4 sheets of matzo
butter
maple syrup, jam, powdered sugar, whipped cream, etc.
directions:
1. mix everything but the matzo and the butter together in a baking dish.
2. place matzo in the mixture and let sit about 5 minutes. flip the matzo and let it soak 5 minutes more.
3. melt butter in a skillet or flat grill pan. take matzo out of the mixture and let the excess liquid fall off. place matzo in the skillet and let cook until it begins to brown. flip and let the other side brown.
4. serve with warm maple syrup, jam, powdered sugar...whatever suits you!
now that's the right way to start a Passover day!
Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.
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