Try This—Savory French Toast

While I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life (I decided to go vegetarian at the age of 12), I’ve fed my kid meat his entire life. I figured, if he ever wanted to quit eating meat, he could make that decision himself, just as I had done, before he was even a thought.

I did however load up his plate with a lot of vegetables when he was younger. He’s always been a weird eater. He’d eat all of the meat first, then he’d move on to the potatoes or rice or whatever. The very last thing he’d eat were the veggies. He rarely finished all his vegetables. Ugh! It drove me crazy, but it also made me have to be a little more creative when it came to recipes. In order to get him to eat certain things, I had to really experiment with flavors.

I like to think of myself as the adventurous type when it comes to recipes. If a meal is traditionally savory, I always try to make it sweet just to see if it’s as amazing as I think it’ll be. My pasta sauce is usually a bit sweet… I always dump sugar into grits… and I like my stir-frys with ginger and honey. If you’ve been following along with me, you know that I also like to switch things up when it comes to traditionally sweet meals too. Savory yogurt has been a total favorite of mine, and of course all of this has been a pretty big hit with the kiddo. Winning!

Recently, I made some Eggnog French Toast and it is, in fact, totally as delicious as it sounds, but I got to thinking about what it would be like if french toast decided to go savory. Eeeerrrrrrr Mahhhhh Gaaaawwwdddd! Is that even a thing?!! Whatevs. I didn’t even bother looking for a recipe, I just jumped right in. You guys… Seriously, YOU GUYS!!! I honestly think that whoever coined the term ‘food porn’ came up with it after making savory french toast. So, here it is. Even if you’re not a sugar-grits-eating rebel like me or the kid, you must try this!

Savory Parmesan French Toast

Ingredients

• Canola oil, for frying
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove,peeled and crushed
• 6 thick slices of day old bread,  (3/4 to 1 inch slices)
• Freshly minced herbs like chives or parsley, for garnish

Directions

• Turn the oven to the warming setting. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and set it near your workspace.
• Combine the eggs, milk, and cream in a blender and pulse until well combined. Transfer mixture to an 8×8 baking dish or shallow pan. Whisk in the Parmesan, mustard powder, salt, hot sauce, and a very generous amount of black pepper, followed by the garlic clove.
• Pour about 1/4- to 1/2-inch of oil into a large cast iron skillet (or heavy, flat-sided pan) and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
• While the oil is heating, add 2 pieces bread to the batter and soak, flipping frequently, until thoroughly saturated with liquid. Add the bread to the hot oil and cook until the bread is golden brown; flip and continue cooking, about 2 minutes per side.
• Gently shake excess oil from the bread and place on the paper towel-lined sheet pan. Pat the toast with additional paper towels to remove excess oil, if necessary. Transfer the sheet pan to oven to keep warm, and continue cooking the remaining bread.
• Garnish the French toast with chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese.

This is a versatile little recipe here for sure! There are so many ways to dress this up! For breakfast, make some tofu scramble or scrambled eggs to accompany your savory french toast. For brunch, serve with a lightly tossed side salad. For lunch, slice some avocado and tomato (and more cheese!!!) for a yummy sandwich option. For dinner, serve your savory french toast with your favorite pasta dish.

If you have any leftovers (I totally doubt you will) they can be reheated in the toaster oven.

Adapted from thekitchn