Get your costumes, sweet and pumpkins out: It’s virtually Halloween! Spooky season is my all-time favourite season as a result of it means stout and extra baking. After I lived on the East Coast, my roommates and I’d go to pumpkin patches each fall to choose the proper carving pumpkins and cease by some craft breweries to strive their yearly stouts.
Whereas I solely lately got here round to pumpkin as a dessert taste, I’ve all the time been a fan of stouts. Stouts aren’t for everybody, however they provide all of the scrumptious flavors we love about fall. Molasses, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon flavors are all all through many fall stouts. This makes it the proper pairing for a few of your favourite fall desserts and a fair higher marriage with pumpkin.
I attempt to dwell my greatest “woman within the woods cooking” life, so generally which means going round and gathering substances from some native favorites. On one in all these city hikes by Seattle, I used to be impressed to make this cereal French toast. After consuming pumpkin pastries, and downing a stout, I completely wanted these flavors in toast type. So right here we’re, one other random creation from my head that I hope you take pleasure in.
For this recipe, your bread choice and the way contemporary it’s will have an effect on how lengthy it must soak earlier than cooking. Historically, sourdough or challah that has staled a bit is used for French toast. Right here, I take advantage of a reasonably contemporary loaf of entire wheat bread (nearer in texture to challah). Much less-fresh bread will want a minimal of an hour of soak time earlier than cooking. Bread with extra holes all through the slices (like sourdough) will want much less time, particularly if contemporary. Should you oversoak these slices of bread, they will simply crumble.
If you wish to do one thing just a little further, strive crusting it in Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It presents an additional layer of taste and crunch to an in any other case delicate dish. (Be aware, if you happen to select to crust your toast in cereal however oversoak your bread, it won’t adhere.)
Lastly, for just a little spooky really feel, I paired it with a easy pink wine syrup. Even if you happen to don’t apply it to the French toast, pink wine syrup goes effectively with ice cream! That is the proper pairing for grownup French toast: not too candy and leaving you wanting extra.
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Stout and Pumpkin French Toast
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook dinner time: half-hour
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
French toast
- 4 (1- to 1½-inch thick) slices of bread (I used a neighborhood favourite, Macrina Bakery’s Cider.)
- ¾ cup milk (I used entire milk, however be happy to make use of milk of your alternative.)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon cardamom, grounded
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, grounded
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ⅓ cup stout (I used Metier Brewing Grandma’s Palms.)
- Non-obligatory: 2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch, hand-crushed (ought to be in regards to the dimension of cobblestone)
- Impartial oil
Crimson wine syrup (non-obligatory)
- 1 cup pink wine
- 1½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
STEPS
French toast
- Place slices of bread in a single layer, in a deep dish, like a casserole or brownie dish.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively all substances besides cereal and oil till mixed. Pour over slices of bread, flip bread a few occasions in combination. Let sit for no less than half-hour to an hour.
- Place crushed cereal in a shallow dish. Take away a slice of bread from pumpkin stout combination; let extra marinade drip off. Press bread into cereal on each side. Repeat with remaining bread, and place crusted bread on flat floor till able to prepare dinner.
- Warmth a big skillet over medium-low warmth, add 1 tablespoon of impartial oil. Ensure the oil coats the pan. Place bread in skillet and barely press down; prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes till a golden brown. Flip, press and prepare dinner for an additional 2-3 minutes, till deep golden brown. (Be aware: Should you’re not utilizing the cereal crust, prepare dinner on medium to medium-low warmth 3-5 minutes on both sides.)
- Take away and serve with maple syrup or pink wine syrup.
Crimson wine syrup
- In a small sauce pot, mix white sugar, pink wine, and orange zest.
- Deliver to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring with a stiff rubber spatula.
- Cut back to a decrease simmer (low warmth), and prepare dinner for an extra 20 minutes, whereas stirring sometimes. Sauce ought to start to thicken (it ought to generously coat the again of a spoon). Take away from warmth.
- Serve on French toast heat or after it’s cooled.
