A Toast to Toast

It’s all about life’s little pleasures.

My first memory of french toast is when my grandma made it for us one morning after a sleepover. She dusted it with cinnamon sugar and drizzled it with homemade maple syrup that bubbled on her stove. She was always a flurry in her tiny kitchen. But breakfast was a major event.

I learned to make french toast by myself as a boy. We had a heavy cast iron skillet that was impossible to wash unless it was soaked for about six hours after using it. Turning the toast was always a mess due to the non-stick nature of the pan and the slices always came out in a shredded, wadded pile resembling charred bread pudding. In my own version, maple syrup gave way to a mountain of strawberry jam. It was always accompanied by a glass of ice cold milk.

Today, I have it down to a science. Three eggs and a splash of milk whisked together with a dash of vanilla or a bit of grand marnier if I have any on hand. I like to use dense, heavy wheat bread. Seeds and sprouts are a plus. None of this Texas Toast sized stuff they give you in restaurants—it’s too bland, too thick. I prefer my french toast flimsy and nutty. For mine, I lather a big, non-stick skillet with about a huge slab of butter. I slice four pieces of bread on the diagonal, dredge them in the eggs and place them into the skillet in a pinwheel formation. That way, they all fit in the pan at the same time and you can turn them all with one mighty flip (if fate is on your side). There’s so much butter that they practically deep fry to a crispy crunch on the outside but remain moist on the inside. Dust them as they fry with a bit of cinnamon sugar as a tribute to Grandma, then slide the hot pinwheel on to a plate and add more dabs of butter. In the center (for presentation’s sake) plop a big dollop of apricot pineapple jam.

Few people have ever witnessed this epicurean wonder. It’s usually reserved for my Sunday mornings when I’m alone with my coffee and Tribune—listening to Kate Wolf’s buttery vocals. 

Maybe someday someone will be lucky enough to share it with me.