Savory French Toast

I’m not even joking, if a restaurant made this meal for me I’d happily shell out 20 bucks for it. (This is, of course, going by Western food prices in Korea.) This is one of the best brunch foods I’ve ever made and for good reason.

Most of the time if I go into the kitchen I don’t really have much of a plan. At times I use recipes and I adjust and change them to fit my needs, tastes and available ingredients pretty much at a whim. But, today, I researched the best way to make a crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside French toast. I went to a bakery 15 minutes from my home because I knew they had for real rustic French bread. I thought about what vegetables would taste the best with the eggy bread. I thought about what type of “syrup” was needed. So, the bottom line is, thinking about things ahead of time really paid off here. It’s amazing and pretty much my own recipe. Bragginess :D.

The toast is super crisp on the outside with the extra step of toasting the French toast in an oven. The balsamic reduction was not my first choice for a sauce. I wanted to make an aeoli instead but I’m confused as to whether the eggs in Korea are pasteurized. I’m sure they are, but I couldn’t get confirmation yet and I’m always kind of a coward with raw eggs. But the balsamic has a sweetness that worked perfectly PERFECTLY. I was so excited to shove it in my face.

Ingredients (for four pieces):

1/2 a loaf of rustic French bread
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1/2 a stick of butter plus more for frying
1 clove of garlic
4-5 stalks of asparagus
1-2 cups of mushrooms ( I used mini King Oyster)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk (I used soy)
salt + pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

In a large pan, bring 1/2 a cup of vegetable stock, 1/2 stick of butter and clove of garlic to a boil. Add your mushrooms and cook until they smell unbelievable and are nice and browned. Add your asparagus that have been cut in thirds. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Don’t overcook your asparagus or…eww. Add some salt + pepper. Remove from the pan and put to the side, get ride of the garlic.
In a shallow bowl, or pasta plate, add your eggs, milk, salt and pepper to taste and cumin. Whip it good. Cut your bread into 1 inch slices. In a (very) hot pan, add a slice of butter and let it melt. Dredge slices one at a time in the egg mix and add to the pan. Cook until browned on both sides. Add all your toasts to a baking pan and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. (Whyyyy? Why can’t I eat it RIGHT NOW! You may ask. You can totally eat the bread after the pan cooking. But, if you want your edges nice and crispy but your insides wonderfully creamy, go ahead and give it a nice toast. )
I had a bit of egg left over so I made a tiny omelette and topped the toast with it. Totally optional.
In a small pan, add your balsamic vinegar, honey mustard and syrup. Cook on a low heat until reduced to a nice, thickened, sticky, sweet sauce.
Add everything to a plate and drizzle with sauce.
Blow your mind!