Don’t feel like braving the brunch crowds for Mother’s Day? We can’t think of anything better to serve at home than this citrusy French toast from Garrett Park’s Black Market Bistro. It may sound fancy, but pastry chef Jacqueline Castaldo says day-old challah from Giant does the trick.
Orange-Vanilla French Toast (serves 4)
2 cups heavy cream
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ vanilla bean, scraped
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 pound challah cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1. Whisk the cream, eggs, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and orange zest in a bowl until combined. Dip the bread slices into the batter and place in a nonstick pan sprayed with oil and set over medium to medium-low heat.
2. Flip the bread after 2 minutes–it should be a medium-golden color–and cook an additional 2 minutes until the other side looks the same.
3. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, or butter; or cover and keep warm in a 250-degree oven for no more than 15 minutes.
This article appears in the May 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
