I took this tattered cookbook from my mom’s house years ago, and somehow figured she wouldn’t notice. The ignorance of youth.
Well, she told me not that long ago that she knew I took it and (like only a mother would) said she is glad I have it. So, thanks mom. I love this book, it is basic and easy and it has had years of use at my mother’s hand. I remember her pulling it out whenever she couldn’t remember exact measurements for her favorite recipes. It gives me a warm sense of home.
On a recent cold Sunday morning (ok, more like afternoon) I decided to make French Toast. I actually went through about five old cookbooks until I found a recipe for it. Didn’t seem to be a popular dish until the sixties, though it does appear in really old publications (like the White House Cookbook, 1894, as “American Toast: To one egg thoroughly beaten, put one cup of sweet milk and a little salt. Slice light bread and dip in mixture, allowing each slice to absorb some of the milk; then brown on a hot buttered griddle or thick bottomed frying pan; spread with butter and serve hot.” An interesting and savory version from over 100 years ago.)
The recipe given in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, 1964 was pretty simple, I suppose for me too simple. So I took the base recipe:
and added some things, so it looked like this:
FRENCH TOAST
(makes 4 – 6 servings)
4 eggs
1/2 t salt
2 T brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
6-12 slices of any kind of bread
oil, butter, or fat for browning
1. Break up eggs with a whisk, then whisk in salt, sugar, milk, and yogurt until well mixed.
2. Dunk bread in egg mixture. Let them soak for a few minutes if they are thick.
3. In a skillet or on a griddle, melt butter or fat on medium heat. Add in as many pieces of toast to fit in pan. Brown both sides and keep warm in oven as you brown the other pieces.
4. Serve warm with cinnamon sugar, honey, maple syrup, jam, or any such sweet thing.
Eggs.
Whisk.
Add Salt, Sugar, Milk, and Yogurt.
Let it soak up all the goodness.
And soak.
I love a cast iron pan. I use have oil half butter, which keeps the butter from burning.
Brown. And don’t overcrowd the pan.
Another flip.
Brown the other side.
Serve.
Try this for a perfectly subtly-sweet hearty breakfast, I suggest serving it with any form of pork (or if you are disinclined to eat meat, try some other such salty goodness to pair with this sweetness like: homemade eggplant sausage, soy-free vegan bacon, or just delicious hash browns).
culinary mercenary 