T is for: Toasty French BLTs

OK, so this blog title is a stretch. Especially when the name of the recipe is something more along the lines of "French Toast BLT's" or "BLT French Toast." Oh well. I decided I couldn't wait until "B" or "F" week rolled back around. So forget about semantics and just focus on the sheer genius of this creation.

It's bacon. And french toast. What more do you need in a breakfast food? I had a few girls over for an impromptu brunch on Sunday and decided to make two types of French Toast. I made a sweet and a savory. The sweet was more of a traditional recipe with the addition of some Grand Marnier. (Why not, right?)

The savory was this amazing combination. It was inspired by none other than Martha Stewart of all people. But I tweaked the recipe a bit and cut the bread in half to make them more petite and irresistible.

First, you need to start with some high-quality bread. I splurged and bought this La Boulange brioche bread at Whole Foods. So worth it. It works better if it's a little dried out, so the night before you plan to make the French toast, leave it out on your counter. Since I was doing smaller sandwiches, I cut each piece in half before frying it. I think it would be cute to cut them a second time for even more "finger-sized" sandwiches. Another option could be baguette slices, which I originally bought...but the brioche was just far too tempting to pass up.

Whisk together eggs, milk (or cream if you prefer), along with some snipped chives, Parmesan and salt/pepper. I also added a little flour because I read somewhere it helps the bread puff up and is better for achieving that crispy-on-the-outside-custardy-on-the-inside effect. Place bread in a single layer in a baking dish and pour egg mixture over the top. Soak bread for at least 20-30 minutes, turning once.

Melt butter in a large skillet or griddle and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Keep cooked slices in a warm oven while you fry the rest. Top with a tomato slice, lettuce, and half a piece of cooked applewood bacon. You could add mayo as well, but I didn't think they needed it.

You could also serve these open-faced, especially if you decide to use the baguette slices. Either way, they will be gone in about two minutes flat.

French Toast BLTs

by Jaymee Sire
Inspired by Everyday Food, May 2010

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: fry breakfast sandwich bacon tomato lettuce french toast

Ingredients (4 sandwiches)

• 4 slices brioche bread (or 8 baguette slices)
• 2 large slices Applewood smoked bacon, cut in half
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (or you can use cream or 1/2 and 1/2)
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons flour
• fresh ground salt & pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 Roma tomato slices
• 4 lettuce leaves

Instructions

1. The night before you plan to make the BLTs, set the sliced bread out on the counter to dry out slightly.
2. In the morning, preheat oven to 375. Place bacon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Cook until golden and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.
3. While bacon cooks, whisk together eggs, cream, chives, Parmesan, and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Lay bread in a single layer in a large shallow dish and coat with egg mixture. Soak 20-30 minutes, turning once.
4. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. When butter sizzles, add bread and cook until golden and crisp around edges, about 3-5 minutes per side, flipping once. Transfer cooked pieces of bread to an oven safe plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. To serve, layer tomato, lettuce, and bacon on a slice of French toast, and top with another slice or serve open-faced.

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