EMERIL'S FAVORITE FRENCH TOAST

[b-man]

EMERIL'S FAVORITE FRENCH TOAST

The orange flavor in this French toast will just
about knock your socks off. Try it-I bet you'll be back for
more!

Yield: 4 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest (page 21)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 slices bread
8 teaspoons unsalted butter
Confectioners' sugar
Maple syrup or cane sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºF.

2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk
well.

3. Add the milk, orange juice, orange zest, granulated
sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and whisk until well
combined.

4. Working quickly, dip each bread slice into the egg
mixture in the bowl, turning it to coat both sides with the
mixture. Transfer the coated bread slices to a plate while
you finish coating the remaining slices.

5. Heat a small skillet over medium heat until hot, about
3 to 5 minutes.

6. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in the skillet, then add
a slice of coated bread, and cook until the bread is golden
brown and crusted on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn
with a plastic turner and cook until the second side is golden,
about 1 to 11/2 minutes.

7. Transfer the French toast from the skillet to a baking
sheet. Cover lightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven
to keep warm while you cook the other slices.

8. Repeat with the remaining slices, being sure to add
1 teaspoon of the butter to the pan before every slice.

9. Sprinkle the French toast with confectioners' sugar
and serve with maple syrup or cane sugar if desired.

The freshness of the bread is important. Fresh bread
will absorb batter more quickly than stale bread. Depending
on the size of the bread, you may find that there's a bit of
batter left over. If that's the case, just go ahead, add a bit
more butter to the pan, and cook up another slice or two. If
you don't want to eat these today, refrigerate them, tightly
covered, for up to one or two days, and reheat in the oven
or microwave for a really quick breakfast or great afternoon
snack!

B-man