Perfect American French Toast

We love French Toast in my house.

It's one of those things I can make 

without thinking twice.

Rose's recipe for

Perfect American French Toast

is similar to my standard recipe

except for two things:

one she uses nutmeg instead of cinnamon

and two,

she stacks slices together.

I've never heard of this being done before

unless stuffed with fillings.

Bread soaking in egg mixture

Rose specifies white bread made without

eggs or dairy. I found such a loaf at 

Trader Joe's with great texture.

Her soaking mixture is rich with cream,

whole milk, nutmeg beaten together 

with eggs and vanilla.

Cooking under glass

I have a trick that I came up with while making

endless French Toast for grandchildren.

Always concerned that the eggy custard was cooked thoroughly,

I started covering the pan with a lid.

The most amazing thing happened; 

this results in enough steam that the bread interior remains

soft, the outer edges turn golden and the bread sort of puffs,

no matter what kind of bread is used.

Rose offers a variation with 

Yogurt and Raspberry Sauce.

Plain yogurt is strained resulting in a thickened

consistency.

Frozen raspberries are drained and pushed through a wire mesh

after thawing.

Since mine weren't sweetened, 

I added sugar and the called for lemon juice.

This is what it should have looked like

had I been patient enough to wait.

Greek Yogurt would probably work well, too,

and then no need to drain.

Instead, it looked like this:

No matter,

it's delicious! 

And the stacked slices

make a nice thick serving.

Such a pretty presentation,

perfect for Valentine's Day.

~

Rose's Melting Pot

by

Rose Levy Beranbaum