Thursday, February 26, 2009

'BREAK - FAST' ~ BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST

“The best of all medicines is resting and fasting."
~ Benjamin Franklin


~ Michigan Sunrise
(Leelanau Peninsla)
_________
BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST
~ Treasured retro-recipe compliments of chef/owner Keith Famie (past Les Auteurs Restaurant -Royal Oak, MI)
__________
Banana bread:
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup room temp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (about 2) mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
French Toast:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter
Michigan Maple syrup
______________
  • Banana Bread: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Generously butter 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Sift first 3 ingredients into small bowl. Cream butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in sugar then adding eggs, 1 at a time. Add mashed bananas and lemon juice and beat until well blended. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out and cool. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead, wrap tightly and refrigerate.) Cut bread into 3/4-inch slices.
  • French Toast: Preheat oven to low. Whisk eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and spices in large bowl until blended. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Place sliced bread in batter and turn to coat thoroughly. Add bread to skillet, cooking until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer slices to cookie sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining bread slices and batter in batches, adding more butter to skillet as necessary. Serve French toast, passing warm maple syrup. (6 servings)

9 comments:

Gail said...

Lovely post...and the Michigan sunrise is delightful...have a delicious day Joey...gail

garden girl said...

I love banana bread and French toast, and they make a delicious combination Joey!

Our favorite breakfast restaurant serves homemade banana bread french toast. I haven't tried making it at home yet. I'd have to make two loaves since the first one would probably disappear before I got a chance to make the French toast!

Marysol said...

I concur with your quote of the day, my dear Joey.
Therefore, the resting and fasting shall commence as soon as I shovel all 6 servings of your Banana Bread French Toast.

Boy, does that sound good!

Btw, I want to live on your side of MI. I know, I know. We both live in the same state, but I've never seen a sunrise like that before. Wow.

Manju said...

love banan bread..love french toast!! what a combo!

joey said...

Thanks Gail ~ and you have a healthy day :)

Hi Linda ~ though the restaurant has changed hands many times since, this too was served at our old favorite spot.

How sweet, dear Marysol! Lest you think the sunrise is out my window (though often stunning), please note it was taken on the Leelanau Peninsula (Black Star Farms), a beautiful spot to begin a morning!

Thanks Superchef ~ I agree, hard to beat that combo!

Anonymous said...

Ho Joey, that is the best thing ever, french toast made with banana bread. What a treat! And very easy too, I could eat some any time of day, and warm maple syrup is the only way to serve it. :-)
Frances

joey said...

It's a good 'stick to the ribs' breakfast before heading out to the garden, dear Frances ... a tiny serving for the fairies might be nice also :)

Gina said...

Sounds scrumptious Joey! Now that my hens have decided to lay again, this would be a lovely treat..thanks for sharing :D Gx

joey said...

So good to hear from you, Gina. Must hop over for a visit - it's been way too long. Enjoy!