sprinklefingers

mini-break is over.
on the drive home from the coast yesterday my kid was in the back watching a movie (all hail the ipad and whoever invented that strap-thingy that attaches it to a car’s headrest,) and i was left to my own devices in the front seat…and that’s when i decided that as soon as we got home i was going to rearrange every single home accessory i own. (i am seriously so weird.)

so, i did that. i rearranged everything. and just that simple act of moving everything made it so that i didn’t miss the beach at all. weird. and lucky.

but now i’m here to give you some variations on the baked french toast we talked about yesterday…and yesterday i was at the beach. today i’m not, but that’s perfectly fine because all of the terrariums in the house are in different places and everything feels so new! (someone help me.)

so, yes. baked brioche french toast and her variations. let’s get on with it, shall we?

• replace the maple syrup with equal parts granulated sugar. this results in a sweeter french toast with (obviously) a less mapley flavor. you should definitely still serve it with maple syrup, but using granulated sugar in the recipe itself will certainly save you a few pennies.
• add 1-2 teaspoons citrus zest (first choice orange, second choice lemon) to the custard mix. orange zest would be especially delicious with the maple syrup.
• scrape a vanilla bean and add the seeds to the custard. you’ll definitely have to whisk well to distribute the seeds, but it will be worth it!
• if you’d rather not use an entire vanilla bean on this dish, instead add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. delicious!
• add a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to the custard - i love the combination of nutmeg & custard!

another delicious suggestion: sauté some bananas in a bit of butter and sugar. serve alongside the baked brioche french toast. (apples or pears would also be delicious!)