sprinklefingers

well, the whole salad for dinner thing was going really well until two things happened: my in-laws came to town and we took them out for dinner. and then i had a owning-your-own-business-is-too-much day at work. and so, i turned to food.

first up, the dinner out. we went to grüner. i’ve been several times, and i’m happy to report that it gets better with each visit. our server was probably the best i’ve ever had in portland, and the food was perfection. my favorite bite of the night: their house-made sauerkraut with a bit of house-made bratwurst and a gilding of mustard. followed by a sip of champagne. seriously good. and not very girly.

and then i had this grumpy day at work and a salad just wasn’t going to cut it for dinner. so i made a sandwich:

smoked mozzarella, salami and farm egg sandwiches

you need:

• unsalted butter (the better the butter the better the flavor)
• 2 slices of bread per person (you can use fancy bread. you can use sandwich bread. whatever you like.)
• a good amount of smoked mozzarella per person
• 6-8 thin slices of salami per person
• 1 farm egg per person

make the sandwiches:

1. heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a hunk of butter. when the butter is bubbly but isn’t brown, slide one side of each slice of bread through it so the bread is nice and buttery. need more butter to finish the job? simply add more to the pan and let it melt.
2. reduce the heat to medium-low and place as many slices of bread into the skillet as possible, buttered side down. add the cheese to your first slice of bread, then add the salami. place the second slice of bread on top (buttered side up) and cook until golden, flipping as necessary.
3. while the sandwiches are cooking, fry your eggs: using a small skillet set over medium heat, melt a bit of butter. crack your eggs into the skillet and fry until they reach your desired stage - I like mine soft-fried where the whites are just set and the yolk is plenty gooey.
4. once your eggs are fried and your sandwich is golden, carefully lift one slice of bread off your sandwich and slide the egg on top of the mozz and salami. replace the top slice of bread and enjoy. which you seriously will.

i swear it’s back to salads for us. i swear!

it’s an easter miracle. we went to church and my four year old (hopped up on jelly beans and the ears of a chocolate bunny) lasted the TWO HOUR service without having a complete freakout. i feel rather accomplished.

after the service we rushed home and i set about making brunch for a few close friends. on the menu: french toast, bacon, sausages, fruit salad and (hello!) mimosas. [as an appetizer we had about 45 chocolate easter eggs. apiece.]

generally when i have people ‘round for brunch i’ll plan a menu that’s as do-ahead friendly as possible. but not this time. i had two loaves of cinnamon bread in the freezer that were just screaming to be made into french toast, so i was determined to make it work - even if our lovely guests had to wait for me to griddle the toast.

delivering french toast to the table hot is made easier by an electric griddle. i’m not one for excessive amounts of kitchen equipment, but i would be lost without my electric griddle. i use it for breakfast (pancakes! french toast! bacon! eggs!), lunch (grilled cheese! quesadillas!) and dinner (veggie burgers!) - because it’s so much larger than a frying pan, an electric griddle allows you to, basically, griddle up the first round of french toast for the table and then (as you’re enjoying the first round with your guests) the second round can be frying up all golden brown. genius!

the other trick to getting this french toast on the table in a timely manner is that the bread is not soaked in the custard. while the custard is whipped together the night before, the bread is simply dipped in the custard before it goes on the hot (and buttery) griddle. really quite easy, even when cooking for a crowd.

orange & vanilla bean-infused french toast
serves 6 big eaters or 8 wimpy eaters

you need:

• 2 loaves cinnamon bread 
• 2 cups half & half
• 1 cup whole milk
• 9 eggs
• 6 T light brown sugar
• 3/4 t kosher salt
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• zest of one orange

to make the custard:

1. crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. add the half & half, milk, brown sugar, salt, vanilla bean pod & seeds and the orange zest to the eggs whisking until frothy.
3. cover the custard bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. leaving the custard to sit overnight allows the flavors of the orange & vanilla to fully infuse the custard…the results are delicious.

make the french toast:

1. cut the ends off each loaf and then slice the loaves into slabs approximately 1 1/4 ” thick.  
2. heat the griddle to medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of unsalted butter. 
3. pour the custard into a 9x13” pan and remove the vanilla bean pod. working with three slabs of bread at a time, plop the slabs into the custard and then press down lightly on them so that they’ll absorb some of the custard. flip the slices and press them down again. lift them out of the custard and wiggle them a bit to shake off the excess, then transfer them to the hot, buttered griddle.
4. repeat the soaking of slabs in custard and placing them on the griddle until your griddle is full.
5. cook the slabs until golden, approximately five minutes per side. 
6. repeat this process until your bread has all been dipped & griddled.

serve the french toast with butter and warm maple syrup. and maybe some bacon. and sausage. and probably some champagne and orange juice. and perhaps even a few chocolate eggs.