His magical words fought through the fog of my groggy travel brain, “I found a place for brunch, they are famous for something called Crunchy French Toast, you should probably get up…”
It was the last morning of our huge adventure holiday and at the end of that day was a 14-hour flight home, followed by a return to real life, a hard look at what I wanted to do with myself, and a taco/ice cream/pie belly to shed if my jeans were to ever fit again.
Brunch sounded like the perfect distraction.
Our overweight bags were once more puzzle-packed into the rental car and we headed out for a day of exploring in LA. Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose was the first stop, and it was all the internet promised it would be.
We ordered far too much food and stayed far too long – but when you have nowhere to be you may as well chat to the owner, and sip on one more cup of tea, and nibble on another bite of food, and do a bit more eavesdropping on the humble-bragging actor at the next table.
Never heard of a humble brag? In the case of said celeb to her struggling-non-famous-film-maker friends it went something like this … “Oh you don’t want to be invited to all these things anyway, it’s exhausting getting all dressed up and partying all night long, I have a huge hangover, ugh, such a tough life.”
Oh LA you are so… well, so LA.
I really should do a proper post about the cafe and the rest of our feast, and I may get to it some day, but for now a big serving of sweet egg-y brioche, velvety and almost custard-like, inside a crisp and crunchy coating.
As soon as we choose ‘Out of the Frying Pan’ for this month’s Sweet Adventures Blog Hop theme I knew this was the perfect opportunity to finally share this recipe – although I do wish I had time to make and photograph it again… the bread should have been a bit lighter, it rose a bit too much and fell and the shape is all wrong, the photos just aren’t right, the final product looks more like chicken cutlets than french toast.
But sometimes you have to go with what you have, and although not perfectly picturesque it is perfectly delectable. And so worth getting out of bed for.
Crunchy French Toast
Sweet egg-y brioche, velvety and almost custard-like, inside a crisp and crunchy coating. Perfect for brunch with fresh fruit, or even dessert topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Yeah, that.
Serves: 2-3
INGREDIENTS
- 4 thick slices fresh brioche or challah, halved
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 c coconut milk or cream
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon & ginger
- pinch sea salt
- 1 1/2 c corn flakes, crushed
- oil plus oil spray, for pan
To serve
- Vegan Vanilla Creme Anglaise or Vegan Vanilla Sauce , fresh fruit
METHOD
Whisk eggs with coconut milk, spices and salt. Preheat a large skillet or flat griddle to medium, drizzle about a tsp of oil and swirl around pan.
Soak bread in egg mixture and dredge both sides in crushed corn flakes. Arrange in a single layer in the hot pan and press down gently.
Cook 2 mins until crisp and brown. Spray uncooked side with a bit of oil, flip and cook a further 2 mins. Repeat with additional slices if necessary.
Serve warm with fresh fruit, vanilla sauce and real maple syrup if you wish.
COOK’S NOTES
- Crush corn flakes by placing them in a plastic bag and rolling over with pint glass or rolling pin.
- I used this bread, and made it without the blueberry filling.
dairy free // vegetarian // sugar free // gluten free [if using GF bread]
This post is part of the June Sweet Adventures Blog Hop – Out of the Frying Pan – hosted by Capers of the Kitchen Crusader.
SABH is a monthly blog hop brought to you by your hostesses – Dining With a Stud, The Capers of the Kitchen Crusader, and me – 84th & 3rd.
Make sure to check out all the other frozen creations that have been linked-up below!
I love the crunchy coating, what a scrumptious idea!
This looks beautiful. I recently discovered Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot’s recipe for no knead brioche and it is amazingly simple. I need to send it to you so you can make the brioche too… Their book/blog Ideas in Food and Why They Work is still one of the best cooking guides I’ve encountered. It truly is food science.
Thanks Heather – I’d LOVE that recipe!! Will keep an eye out for the book too, thanks
nada problem, will send it through in a coupla weeks time… after the madness. 😉
I love this idea! I would love to smother it in maple syrup, berries and cream 😀 (defeating the vegan-purpose of it but anyhoo!)
Haha there are eggs in it so cream only defeats the dairy free part ;D
I’ve never seen crunchy French toast before, what a fab idea JJ!
Looking the title I was expecting crunchy, but not this crunchy! That looks fantastic!
Right?! It is a brilliant little treat
What an amazing idea. Love being able to use corn flakes for more purposes than just having it for breakky 😛
Thanks, we never eat corn flakes but have a box just for this recipe ;D
OMG an evil and stunning idea. Why has anyone not made this for me. A true frypan gem
Wow this is a heart stopping breakfast dessert 😮 I’d love to try the crunchy coating!
Interesting, I wouldn’t normally eat French toast but these look delicious!
I am a very big fan of French toast. Love your crunchy coating take on a classic, delicious.
WOW this is the breakfast that has it all!! Eggs, toast and cereal too! YUM
It all looks pretty good to me! Definitely no need to re-shoot though I imagine remaking this and getting to eat it all over again wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
i really do have to try this dish!! I can’t imagine how good the corflakes and the coconut milk would taste!! So delicious!
I have finally put up my SABH and hope to continue each month with you.
Yum, will you make that in September?