Lost Bread

We call it French Toast, but the French call it lost bread.  It's their way of salvaging old bread.  While I don't know that too many of us use stale bread to make it anymore, it's a staple at our house.  (Anything you can get a 6 year old to eat becomes a staple...until they decide they're sick of it).  I use raisin bread from Cub, but any version of that will do. It's really the creme anglaise that makes it.

Creme Anglaise

1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat through.  Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture in to the yolks to temper, then return mixture to saucepan, whisking constantly.  Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens and a spoon leaves a trail through it, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil or the eggs will cook.  Chill.

French Toast

2/3 cup dark Belgian abbey ale such as New Belgium Abbey, North Coast Brother Thelonious or Westmalle Dubbel
2/3 cup milk
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar
pinch of cinnamon
6-8 slices of raisin bread
Butter
Brown sugar

Beat the beer, milk, egg yolks, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth.  Heat a large skillet or griddle to moderate heat and brush with butter. Briefly soak the bread in the batter.  Put pieces in the pan, sprinking each side with brown sugar before flipping.  Flip a couple times to get a nice carmelization, but be careful not to burn. 

Serve topped with creme anglaise.

Go back to bed.