Monthly Archives: November 2013
sugar-coated french toast {ffwd}
We’re more of a pancake and waffle household, but I enjoyed French toast when I was a kid. This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was for a sugar-coated version. I gave it a try.
I picked up a mini-loaf of brioche at Iggy’s, perfect for French toast, sliced it up, and left it out overnight to get stale. Pretty simple. You make an enriched custard with cream, sugar, and extra egg yolks, in addition to the milk and eggs of my youth. The bread soaks a few minutes on each side. Then, the bread cooks in butter sprinkled with sugar. The sugar caramelizes and gives the eggy bread a nice finish. The final touch is a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Initially, I was going to make a single serving, but to my surprise, Howard wanted some for breakfast too. It was good, though I liked it more than he did. I think we’ll go back to pancakes and waffles, even though this was a nice change.
There’s not too much else to say, so I’ll be brief this week. I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! To see the other Doristas’ verdicts on this one, check out their links here. If you’re interested, you can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
salty (-sweet) potato far {ffwd}
This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was filled with conflict and confusion. Starting with the title. I initially thought it was a sweet potato side. Turns out, this Breton version of potato pudding is both salty and sweet, the sweet component contributed by prunes. The potatoes are just regular white potatoes, not sweet potatoes.
Anyone who knows how things roll in my kitchen knows that prunes weren’t going to go over with my dear husband. I wasn’t so sure how they would go over with me either. Prunes with potatoes and bacon does sound a little weird. I went for His and Hers. Half with prunes (Hers) and half without (His).
His and Hers Potato Fars
This was relatively easy to put together. You start by crisping some bacon lardons. Then, you make a simple custardy batter, grate some potatoes, and stir them into the batter. Finally, you add bacon and chopped prunes. Because I’d heard from some of the other Doristas that the final dish was lacking something, I stirred a quarter pound of grated Emmenthaler cheese into the batter.
I loved how the potato pudding puffed up and crisped on the outside. When I divided the potato far into two smaller dishes, I didn’t adjust the cooking time. It might have been a little too much, though it still tasted good.
Because I wasn’t sure how this would go over, I was hesitant to serve it as the main course. Instead, I roasted chicken thighs and served the potato far as a side dish.
The prunes weren’t terrible, but to me, they were a little jarring with the other flavors. I would have preferred more bacon and cheese and no prunes. Howard liked his pruneless version. However, I don’t think potato far, sweet, salty, or otherwise, will be making a repeat appearance chez moi. It just wasn’t interesting enough.
The opinions of this one are bound to be feisty. Check them out by following the links here. If you’re curious and want to try it, you can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Thanksgiving falls between now and the next French Friday, so to my Dorista friends, I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope your table is laden with a delicious feast and that the seats are filled with the ones you love. Enjoy the holiday!
A Plateful of Happiness 