French Toast Texas Style

I know what you are thinking – big deal, so you made some French Toast. Yeah, but this ain’t no ordinary, run-of-the-mill French Toast. The zest and juice of an orange seems to wake up the taste buds. Yum! And while the recipe says to finish with Maple Syrup, if you can find a Bourbon Maple, that’s even better!

French Toast has to be one of the easiest things to make on a lazy weekend morning. You could cook up French Toast for one, or easily expand most recipes to accommodate many more. And if you want to sit down together, simply keep the toast warm on a baking rack in a warm oven until ready to serve.

One of the things I love about hot summer days is that there are very little fairs and festivals to attend. Don’t get me wrong, I love fairs and festivals. But attending generally means skipping breakfast one or both weekend days. Saturdays the mornings are always occupied with shopping. And Sundays we have Mass. In the summer, we spend more time close to home. In the spring and fall, having breakfast together as a family is a rare blessing. So I like to make those extra special. Believe me when I tell you this French Toast takes a few minutes longer to prepare, but is oh so worth it in the end.

Happy Autumn to all!

Orange Zest French Toast Texas Style
6 slices Texas Toast
1 Orange, zested
1/4 cup Orange Juice
3/4 cup Milk
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 tablespoons Butter
Maple Syrup as desired

Lay bread out on a cutting board to “dry” slightly. While the bread dries, zest the orange, set zest aside. Cut orange in half, juice into a measuring cup. Add additional orange juice as necessary to measure one-quarter cup.

In a blender, add milk, orange juice, zest, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Blend until smooth and just a little foamy. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl, set aside.

Heat griddle to medium heat. While the griddle warms, stack bread, slice in half to create triangles. Dip bread, once slice at t time, into the milk mixture. Arrange on the heated grill. Let cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Top each bread slice with a small pat of butter, let butter milt into the French toast. Transfer to individual plates. Finish with a swirl of syrup, serve alongside sausage links and enjoy.

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From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the Lord to be praised