French toast is perhaps the greatest breakfast food of all time.
(Oh, no. Terry’s being hyperbolic again.)
Well, take it! It’s true. And I don’t care who disagrees. My girlfriend Kourtney and I were recently entertaining thoughts of what to have for brunch. BLTs were a given (as they are reliably delicious), but that’s not very creative or original to say the least, and much like myself, Kourtney is a very creative person and an accomplished baker who never shies away from new culinary experiments (just allow me a small moment to swoon, if you will … sigh).
Before I could suggest a unique creation of my own, Kourtney chimed in that if she used some aged bananas she was saving to bake banana bread, she would love to see how that turned out in the form of French toast.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t help but share my excitement for the idea which sounded so incredible. While I did some work of my own, Kourtney got her mise en place together for banana bread, something I’ve always found tricky, but that she has considerable talent with. She called me out to see it when it was out of the oven and there my eyes beheld the most flawless loaf of delicious-smelling banana bread I had ever seen.
I sampled the end pieces and let me tell you folks, it was divine. The best banana bread I have ever eaten by a landslide (but please, for the love of Queen Mary, don’t tell my Nan I said that). My appetite whetted, I awaited the arrival of the finished product as Kourtney toiled with significant degree in the kitchen making the BLT sandwiches and the banana bread French toast at the same time, like a seasoned professional. When the moment finally came and I was served brunch, I was pop-eyed to see that Kourtney had also found the time to create a banana whisky sauce to pour over her culinary masterpiece. I gave her the largest and most genuine smile that I’ve given her to date, and sat down to eat.
Griffin’s Banana Bread French Toast
For Banana Bread:
4 overripe bananas
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift all dry ingredients together in a large bowl, make a well in the centre. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry well and mix well to form a batter. In a greased bread pan, add batter and knock to settle. Bake for roughly 50 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Tip: Adding a small sprinkle of sugar to the top and bottom before baking forms a nice caramelized crust!
For Banana Whisky Sauce:
1 banana, half sliced-half whole
1 fluid oz of Canadian whisky
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp. melted butter
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, add whisky, half a banana, maple syrup and butter. On medium high heat, whisk the sauce until smooth, being sure to mash the banana as you whisk. When mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and add remainder of banana cut into slices. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
For French Toast:
3 large eggs
4 slices of banana bread
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp. butter
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat butter on medium heat until melted and increase heat to medium high. Carefully dunk each slice of banana bread into the egg batter until fully and evenly coated. Place them onto the pan and cook for roughly three minutes on each side until firm. Plate this with banana whisky sauce on top or your favourite toppings.
Needless to say, ladies and gentlemen, after a harrowing ordeal, I am in love again. This time, with someone much like myself and full of things to teach me.
Stay tuned.
Letter Snacks!
Dear Food Dude,
My understanding of GM food is that it makes crops resistant to Roundup. Glyphosate (Roundup) kills beneficial gut bacteria, damages DNA in human embryonic placental and umbilical cord cells and is linked to birth defects and reproductive problems in laboratory animals; 74 per cent of all glyphosate sprayed on crops since the mid 1970s was applied in the last 10 years as cultivation of GM corn and soybeans expanded in the U.S. and globally.
Not only is Roundup used to kill weeds, it now is used to spray non-GM wheat and barley to kill the crop and have it dry earlier which means the crops are saturated with Roundup before harvesting. Many countries have now banned Roundup because of health implications.
Maybe you are not in favour of Roundup and I have misunderstood your column of July 26.
Diane – Unknown location
Dear Diane,
Have to call straw man on that one. Personally, I’m not in favour of any toxin-based pesticides or herbicides at all. Truth is, there are many technological advances that could drastically change the way we control crop pests without the side effects of toxins, including GMO technology. We could easily genetically engineer crops to produce their own insect defences, for example. While that current technology is in place, which makes crops resistant to pesticides like Roundup, it most likely will be phased out, and soon, according to my sources.
Thanks for writing!
Terry Bursey, otherwise known as the Food Dude, is a Newfoundland chef transplanted to Ontario who enjoys putting his mark on traditional recipes and inventing new tasty treats with unexpected ingredients. You can reach him at [email protected].
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