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Stop Watching All of those French-inspired Films: Go Wash Your Dishes

Following up on my Saturday-morning post about Valentine's Day, I kept hitting the remote and discovered the TCM channel was running a marathon of old French-inspired movies. I kept thinking, "Okay, watch this and then go find something to do... " The line-up was Casablanca, Midnight in Paris, GiGi, and Charade. I love all four of these movies for different reasons. Like, who else wants to stand up and sing La Marseillaise and drown out the tune of the Germans in Casablanca? This movie is more than Rick and Ilsa. I think the moments when Rick gives the band a nod to change the music and the French stand up to sing are the greatest scenes in cinematic history. It's a fun journey as screenwriter Gil Pender meets Hemingway, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein, and Scott and Zelda in 21st-century Paris in Midnight in Paris. Gil is sitting at the steps of the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont when an old Peugeot limo picks him up and whisks him away. I also sat on those same ste...
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French Toast: It's GRRREAT!

And it's origins aren't even from France. 

 It's from Rome. One of the earliest versions of French toast has been traced back to the Roman Empire, where it was referred to as pan dulcis - meaning "sweet bread." Stale bread was soaked in milk and eggs, and then fried in oil or butter. 

 In the 15th century, The King of England Henry V enjoyed a similar version called "pain perdu," which in French means "lost bread." So if the French didn't create French toast, then who did? 

 The urban legend claims an innkeeper from Albany, New York by the name of Joseph French created the dish in 1724.

My French toast recipe comes from what I remember my parents made on Saturday or Sunday mornings. There was no written recipe, it was just taught. The basics: bread, milk, egg, and spices. For around two to three slices, I whisk well together with one egg and about 1/2 cup milk (non-fat, 1%, 2%, or whole - doesn't matter). I sprinkle into the eggy mixture cinnamon and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Sometimes in the autumn and holiday months, I will use Pumpkin Pie spice instead of cinnamon.

Now here's something I treat myself to once in a while and especially when I have guests. I add a special coating to the French toast after dipping it into the egg mixture. "It's GRRREAT!" Frosted Flakes.

 Usually, I crunch them up a bit more into a rough crumb, than I did here in the photos. I left them not as "crumbed" so it would be recognizable for the photos. 

It's easy. Dip in egg-milk mixture, dip, and pat on cereal coating and fry as usual. Serve with butter (in red LeCreuset butter keeper) and maple syrup (the real thing in the beige container).  It's extra rich, but a nice treat.
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