Wednesday Food Blogging: Pain Perdu, or French Toast Loses the Eggs

Anyone seen my pain perdu?

One of our favorite recipes is the french toast my husband makes (or made, before I gave up eggs). It's from a New Orleans cookbook I've had for ages, with stains on all the best recipes. Over the years we've varied it a bit, substituting Cointreau for the brandy, adding soy milk—always joking we'd serve Pain Perdu (Lost Bread) if we ever opened a bed and breakfast.

Lately I've been hankering for french toast, but I didn't want healthy french toast, with the whole grain bread and applesauce some vegan recipes call for. I prefer my decadence straight up.

So I combined a couple of vegan recipes with my favorite New Orleans Pain Perdu recipe and the result tasted a lot like the original, minus the eggs. Next time I think I'm going to heat some syrup and toasted pecans to serve with this poor lost bread.

I used stale french bread, the kind that has no redeeming qualities whatsoever until it's coated with sugar and soaked in syrup. It ended up light and fluffy. Not the least bit healthy, either, but then vegans aren't all about the health.

Unless you're a chicken.

Pain Perdu

1 loaf stale french bread
3/4 cup soy cream
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
2 tablespoons orange juice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon brandy
nutmeg
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
powdered sugar

Slice the bread slightly diagonally (for more surface area; you'll appreciate it later). Set aside while you mix up the soaking mixture.

Combine soy cream and soy milk. Whisk in 1 tablespoon flour until lumpless. Add the sugar (unless you are trying to cut down.) Add orange juice, lemon juice, brandy, and a dash of nutmeg. The mixture may thicken and curdle with the addition of the lemon juice to the soy milk; do not be alarmed.

Pour the mixture into a ceramic casserole dish, big enough to hold the french bread you've cut up. Arrange the bread slices inside. Let soak for 30 minutes, turning halfway through. The mixture should come up to about the middle of the bread; if not, you'll have to add enough soy milk to make up the difference. (The amount above fit into a 2 quart casserole dish, with about 10 slices of bread).

After the bread has soaked, heat a wide skillet with a couple tablespoons of margarine, or spray with cooking spray. Transfer the bread slices to the skillet (tongs work nicely) and cook a couple of minutes on each side. Don't cook over high heat; you want the inside to cook through before the outside browns.

Place the powdered sugar in a wire mesh strainer and sprinkle over top. Lightly sprinkle another dash of nutmeg if you wish. Serve with maple syrup and a few orange slices for garnish.

Notes on ingredients: While I used soy milk, almond milk might also taste very nice in this recipe.

Comments

[Serge]

When Sue has French Toast at our nearby Flying Star, the bread is definitely perdu - under the gallon of maple syrup she pours on it.

[Hannah]

Yay! That is da bomb french toast mamon- best texture. that is what i love. and england. cause they know about texure.