Food Fact Friday: French Toast
Written by Natalie
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Happy FFF! February is National Hot Breakfast Month. Since I already did an FFF on Pancakes, I thought the next most appropriate item would be French Toast. Especially since I’m not an egg lover. A few slices of my healthy French Toast and some bacon is a great way to start the weekend! Here is some history and a few facts on this sweet breakfast treat…
The earliest known reference to French toast is in the Apicius, a collection of Latin recipes dating to the 4th or 5th century; the recipe mentions soaking in milk but not eggs (though the editor adds eggs) and gives it no special name, just calls it Aliter Dulcia (another sweet dish). Here is how it’s eaten around the world…
United Kingdom: It is also known as “eggy bread”, “egg dip” or “gypsy toast”: a version with jam was once popularly known as “Poor Knights of Windsor”. It is rarely found in cafes, but more of a household recipe.
Hong Kong: It is made by deep frying stacked sliced bread dipped in beaten egg or soy, and served with a slab of butter and topped with golden syrup (refined sugar syrup) or sometimes honey. Two slices are normally used and a sweet filling is usually added.
Hong Kong Style French Toast
India: This version is salted rather than sweet. The egg is beaten with milk, salt, green chili and chopped onion. Bread is dunked into this mixture and is deep fried in butter or cooking oil. It is normally served with ketchup.
Greece: The name of the dish translates to “eggslices” and is typically made from slices of stale bread soaked in milk or water to soften it, dipped in egg, fried in oil and eaten with sugar and cinnamon, cheese, jam or just by itself. It is usually eaten as a breakfast food or cold snack.
Spain: It is called Torrijas and is typically made during Lent, out of thick slices of bread soaked in milk or wine, dipped in egg, fried and then drenched in spiced honey or cinnamon.
Germany: Arme Ritter (poor knights) are made from bread leftovers as a fast and simple meal. There are several local alternatives in serving: with a mix of sugar and cinnamon, filled with plum-jam or with vanilla sauce. Sometimes it is made with wine instead of milk, and called Betrunkene Jungfrau, “drunken virgin”.
France: French toast is called Pain Perdu, which means “lost bread” in French. It is called “lost bread” because it is a way to reclaim stale or “lost” bread. The hard bread is softened by dipping in a mixture of milk, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs, and then fried. The slices are pan-fried in butter and traditionally served dusted with powdered sugar and jam on the side. It is usually served for dessert.
Rabanadas from Brazil
Brazil: They call it Rabanadas and follows the Portuguese recipe of soaking leftover bread in milk then quick dipping in egg. It is quite often used to celebrate a birth, as well as at Christmas, Easter and New Year celebrations. After being fried, it is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon only. A variant consists of adding some red wine to the milk. It may be eaten hot or cold.
Why is it called French Toast? Nobody really knows, but it was not invented in France. The main theory is that French style baguettes were the main bread used in the U.S. and that’s how it got its name here.
What is your favorite hot breakfast dish?
Category:
Breakfast, Food Fact Friday
Chocolate Chip Nutella Chickpea Cookies
Written by Natalie
12 Comments
On Sunday, I was really in the mood to bake something healthy. I remember hearing about Christin’s Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies and knew that’s what was going to be in my oven. I tweaked it a little bit to suit the ingredients I had in stock.
These can easily be gluten free if you use brown rice flour like Christin’s original recipe. You can even make them vegan just by using vegan chocolate chips and all peanut butter instead of nutella.
Chocolate Chip Nutella Chickpea Cookies
makes 15 cookies, total time: 30 minutes
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 tbsp nutella
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 ½ tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ tbsp agave nectar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ packet stevia
- 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 400
- Combine all ingredients (except for the almond milk and the chocolate chips) in a food processor until well combined.
- Add almond milk one tbsp at a time while the food processor is running until the dough reaches a smooth consistency.
- Scoop the dough into a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a heaping spoonful for each cookie, roll between hands to make a smooth ball, and place balls on foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool on sheet for a few minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Can be stored for several days in an airtight container, or put in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.
They are rich and gooey chocolate treats! Out of the oven they were so melty and delish, and the flavors got even better after letting them sit for a few hours. I gave one to my 2 year old neighbor and she couldn’t get enough….and she is picky! I’m so glad I have some left to snack on the rest of the week.
What is your favorite “healthy” treat?
Category:
Baking, Chocolate, Healthy Eats, Peanut Butter, Recipes
My First Pho!
Written by Natalie
11 Comments
I can’t believe it took me so long! This Saturday, I finally had pho. Jay & I were craving something reasonably healthy but tasty, and I suggested going to Basilic Vietnamese Grill since I had a newly purchased Groupon. Even though this place is only a few miles from us and 2 years old, I hadn’t heard of it until a few months ago. My foodie radar was way off. It’s a small restaurant and was crowded, but we only had to wait about 10 minutes. I loved the metal chopsticks!
Jay started off with a Newcastle and I started off with Chardonnay.
They entice your appetite with a basket of shrimp crackers. These airy, crispy crackers are a great way to start the meal. They have a mild shrimp flavor but nothing crazy.
We had to order an appetizer. They have lots of good options, from wings to calamari. We settled on the Shrimp & Pork Imperial Roll. It was a crispy, thin wrapper stuffed with goodness. The only thing I would have changed is that the sauce could have been thicker and more a little more flavorful.
Now it was time for the pho! I saw a few HUGE bowls of this stuff stroll by me while we were eating our spring rolls. When it was my turn to get one of these bowls of goodness it did not disappoint. I ordered the Beef Pho, which had uber-thin slices of beef sliced rare onto the hot broth and cooks almost instantly. On the side was siracha, hoisin sauce, jalapeno, sprouts, and thai basil. I tasted the broth and it was delicate and fragrant. But I still needed to adulterate it. I added half the sprouts, 1/3 of the siracha, most of the hoisin, and most of the basil…and if the heat wasn’t enough I added 1 slice of jalapeno.
I mixed it all up and it was a bowl full of beefy, noodly, spicy yumminess. After slurping away for about 15 minutes, I was only half way done. For only $9, I got 2 meals out of it, yay! Now that is way better than a value meal.
We will definitely be back to Basilic! Great service, nice atmosphere, and reasonable prices. I wish it didn’t take me two years to go there.
Have you had pho?
Category:
Beef & Pork, Restaurants, Soup & Stew, South Florida