quick! easy! delicious! banana bread!

I never quite understood why all those "30 meals under 30 minutes!" or "Quick, Fast, Instant, Speedy Cooking" or "10,000 one-bowl meals!" cookbooks sold so well. I knew that time is of the essence when it came to managing the family, but I thought it was kind of overboard when I saw the plethora of these cookbooks. That is, until... I became a mom! O how I underestimated the value of a quick and easy recipe. Motherhood is a series of juggling acts and I realized I'm constantly trying to simplify things when I can. And so when I was in the midst of amusing an energetic 9 month old baby and eating a quick lunch off the counter yet still wanted to do something about those overripe bananas, I looked for the simplest one bowl banana bread recipe I could find. The name of this recipe also happened to be "The Best Ever Banana Bread", so it was an easy sell.



I liked this recipe because it asked for simple ingredients that I knew I had in my kitchen. It didn't require milk (which I rarely have in the house) or buttermilk (which I always end up throwing out) or room temperature butter and eggs (which I always forget to take out ahead of time). I'm pretty sure you would have all of the ingredients in your pantry right now too. I know banana breads or any quick bread is usually very easy to make, but this one couldn't be any simpler. And it took me just 10 minutes to whip it up. To be honest, if it wasn't for me having to entertain Heidi as she sat in the highchair beside me, I probably could have made it in about 5.



It turned out just like how good ol' banana bread should. Super moist, very banana-y, and a perfect amount of density. I know it's gonna be even better when I let it sit overnight. It's definitely my favourite banana bread recipe now! So here it is – a super simple and scrumptious banana bread that you can make if you can spare 5 minutes of your time. I know I'm going to be making it again.

Mom's speedy banana bread

recipe from Domestic Superhero

makes one 4x8 inch loaf pan or two small loaf pans or 12 muffins

ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mash the bananas, then add the melted butter and mix until combined. Mix the sugar, egg and vanilla extract until combined well. Add baking soda and salt to batter. Finally, slowly add the flour until just combined - don't overmix. You can add the nuts or chocolate chips here.
2. Grease your loaf pans or muffin tins and pour in the batter. Bake for 1 hour for a large loaf (4x8 pan), 45 minutes for smaller loaves, or 22-25 minutes for the muffins. Check if it's done with a toothpick (no crumbs!)
3. Let it cool on a rack and enjoy!

donut fail like me

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Craving the Sun

I love Winter. I love the snow and even the blizzards (it's exciting!). I love the sight of the snow-covered city and the sight of people bundled up head to toe. But if there's one thing I can't stand about winter time, it's that it gets pitch black by 5:00 pm. The shortened day killllls me. I hate walking home at 5:30 PM feeling like it's 10 PM. By the time I'm home and cooking dinner, there isn't even a trace of the sun. This also greatly effects my window of opportunity for food photography, as I greatly dislike taking photos in the evening with tungsten light.



Being able to bask in (and take food photos in) sunlight is a rare opportunity and this luckily, this Saturday was a beautiful one with plenty of sunshine. So when I woke up, I started the day with a mission. I promised I'd spend my day to make something really delicious and take a gazillion photos of it. I flipped through cookbooks, bookmarks, various blogs and food sites to find the right recipe. I wanted something some-what time-consuming to take full benefit of my free Saturday and something refreshingly different than what I've made here before. And there I saw it: Toasted Almond Dacquoise.



I've had this cake at a birthday celebration before, made from Dufflet Pastries and I was blown away. I loved the delightful texture of the chewy/crunchy meringue and the pleasantly un-sweet berry-licious whipped cream filling. I knew I wanted to make it when I took a bite out of it, so when I saw a recipe that alluded to this cake, I instantly knew it was the one! I also happened to have a jar full of almonds and a container of berries in my refrigerator. Perfect!

The dacquoise is delightful cake layer that is used in a lot of fancy cakes, but don't be fooled by it's harsh sounding name – it's so easy to make! I found this wonderful recipe from Zoe Bakes and I think she describes it perfectly! "It's a light meringue that has nuts folded into it and baked in a thin layer. The dacquoise is crisp and used to add a sweet, nuttiness to your cakes. I love the contrast of a dacquoise with a soft sponge cake and a fruit mousse in the summer or with layers of rich chocolate in cooler weather." Are you in love yet?

(And this time, I had a whole day to bake so I made it a good one. Here's a step-by-step photo post for you!)



This recipes calls for almond meal, and you're free to buy them that way, but you can also just make your own. I happened to have almonds at home, so I toasted them (to make them more fragrant and delicious) for just about 8 minutes or so in a preheated oven at 350F. When cool, I grounded them in a blender/chopper.



Next step is to preheat the oven to 225F and prepare your baking tray. Prepare sheets of parchment paper by drawing circles that match the size of the cake you are going to bake. The original recipe was for a 9-inch cake and so she used a cake cardboard round, but I wanted to make cute single-serve desserts so I used a glass instead.



In a small bowl, mix the almond meal and 1/4 cup of sugar. Set aside. (I know you can see big chunks of almond here. I know it should be almond MEAL, but I actually liked having almond chunks in my cake before, so I kept a few in there.)



Now, it's time to whip the egg whites. A few tips here:
1. You probably need some sort of electronic mixer for this. I don't doubt you have the muscle-strength to whip eggs into its voluptuous state, but it's just really really hard work. It doesn't have to be stand mixer, though. I hand-held mixer is perfect.
2. Make sure your bowl is completely clean. Any traces of yolk, fat or soap, and these babies won't rise.
3. Have all the ingredients set out and ready. You want a steady and smooth transition when you're adding sugar and such, so it's great to have it all ready by your mixing bowl instead of letting the air die down while you prepare your next cups of sugar.



Whip the egg whites on low speed until they start to foam, about 45 seconds. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar to the whites and continue to whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Once the whites form soft peaks slowly add the 2/3 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks are formed and the sugar, about 2 minutes.




Time to whip out your spatula. Add the almond meal in two batches, folding them in gently after each addition. Don't overbeat! Fold in only until the almond meal is well distributed. You know your proper "folding" technique, right? Cut down the middle, scoop around the edge, rotate the bowl and repeat!



Now, you need a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (or in my case, no tip at all – I couldn't find mine) and fill it with the dacquoise. The fun part: pipe spirals to fill the circles you've drawn on the parchment. It should be around 1/8" - 1/4" thick.



The hard part: Bake the dacquoise at 225° until dry, about 65-85 minutes. (My little circles took around 70 minutes.) Why is it hard? That hour and a bit feels like forever when you're smelling the delicious almond meringue cooking in the oven! You can use this almond dacquoise recipe in a whole lot of delicious little desserts. I hope to try different cakes with this recipe! Oh, and did I tell you that this treat is gluten-free? This meringue-based cake is a great alternative to flour cakes!!



When your dacquoise layer is baked, let it cool on a rack. It's time to make delicious whipped cream with berries! Make sure your heavy cream is cold and straight out of the fridge. You're just going to whip the cream with a dash of pure vanilla extract and when it starts to hold shape, add about 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar (add and subtract depending on how sweet you want it). I like mine whipped to its hardest peak, just try not to curdle it! Fold in your berries and voila – your delicious berry whipped cream.



For my little treat cakes, I sandwiched two pieces of dacquoise between the cream, with more cream and berries on top. I even sprinkled some almond meal and dusted it with powdered sugar for extra prettiness. :)



So there it is! A very delicious delicious dessert that I know you'll love as much as we did at home. After one bite, Andrew asked me, "Do you have any more? I think this is the best thing I've had in a loong time!" It was soo delicious!

And yes yes - this is more of a summer treat, what, with the berries and whipped cream and all. It's not quite fitting with the winter season, but think of it this way: how brilliant is it when you can create a bit of sunshine in your own kitchen? Cheers!

Toasted Almond Dacquoise with Berry Whipped Cream

makes 9 little cakes or one 9" cake
recipe adapted from Zoe Bakes

ingredients

2/3 cups almond meal (1/3 cup whole almonds, finely ground)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cups egg whites (about 5 large)
2/3 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar (separate)

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups fresh berries (you can also use frozen fruit)

directions

1. Toast whole almonds in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8 minutes. Grind them finely in a food processor or blender/chopper
2. Prepare parchment paper by drawing circles that match the size of the cake you are going to bake. In my case I used a small glass. Preheat the oven to 225°.
3. In a small bowl, mix the almond meal and 1/4 cup sugar and set aside.
4. Whip the egg whites on low speed in a mixer until they start to foam, about 45 seconds. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar to the whites and continue to whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Once the whites form soft peaks slowly add the 2/3 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks are formed and the sugar, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the almond meal in two batches, folding them in gently after each addition. Make sure you only fold until almond meal is well-distributed.
6. Place the dacquoise in to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe in a large spiral until you have filled in the circles drawn on the parchment. it should be about an 1/8″ thick.
7. Bake the dacquoise at 225° until dry, about 65-85 minutes. Place on rack to cool.

For the cream:
1. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream with vanilla extract until it starts to hold shape. Pour powdered sugar and add more to taste.
2. Add berries and fold until well-incorporated.

Assemble with prepared dacquoise, adding pretty details like powdered sugar and almond bits.

Holiday Treats: Toblerone Shortbread Cookies

I'll be honest, I really didn't feel like baking last night. But I promised that I'd do a Holiday Treats special, and I realized I haven't posted much (just one so far) and Christmas is literally just around the corner (3 days!). So from a list of ideas that I've had, I went for the easiest, quickest one. But that just adds to the awesomeness of this cookie! It's so easy that it makes it that much more delicious. I even left the big stand mixer inside my cupboard and busted out my spatula and my arm (and Andrew's arm) to show you how simple and low-maintenance this cookie is.



I know this cookie sounds/looks pretty cheesy, but hear me out. I usually dislike cookies that so obviously depend on another candy bar.. it hits my "bake-from-scratch snob" nerve. But this cookie is an exception to me. I've always been a huge fan of Toblerone chocolate bars, and the first Toblerone Shortbread cookie I tried at a local bakery made a lasting impression on me.

I'm probably a big fan of Toblerone because my dad was always a fan of the Toblerone bar. When I was a little girl, whenever my dad went on a business trip, he'd always come back home with a bag of goodies. Some promo goodies he collected at the work conference show (pens, stress-balls, maybe even a slinky toy), a few bags of airplane peanuts, and... a box of Toblerone chocolate bars. And the box would usually be open already as my dad would have snacked on one. Maybe it was just the excitement of my dad coming back from a trip or maybe it was the milky chocolate with nougat surprises in a fun triangle shape. But in any case, I fell in love with it as a little girl.

And about the discovery of the Shortbread Cookie... let's just say, the girl who worked there saw me a LOT, since I'd drop by the place even if it was out of the way to "just check if you had any of those Toberlone shortbreads left!"



So you can probably see how much I would love these cookies, and I'm sure you would enjoy them very much too! I've sorta made this recipe up by using a basic shortbread recipe and adding chopped chocolate bits as well, so you get a nice flavour overall. The dusty, almost melting shortbread is such a wonderful vessel for this chocolate! And remember, it's sooo easy to make, so hurry - make that trip to the variety store and buy some bars of Toblerone and bake this cookie!! Happy Holidays!!

Toblerone Shortbread Cookies

makes 2 dozen cookies

ingredients

1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 small Toblerone chocolate bar, chopped
3 small Toblerone chocolate bar, individual triangles separated

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour and cornstarch gradually while beating continuously. Beat until light. Add chopped Toblerone bits.
4. Drop tablespoons of dough and slightly flatten onto baking sheet. Squish Toblerone triangles in the middle of each cookie.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely for best texture!

Holiday Treats: Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I was just about to write "It's finally my favourite time of year!" but then I had to think twice about that. Is it really my favourite time of year? I mean, I do love love love the snow and even the cold brisk air but I don't know if it really compares to blissful summer days or romantic fall evenings. But one thing for sure is there's no other time of year that brings festivities and excitement to our hearts! I'm really not into crazy Christmas shopping, but I do love that the holidays lead me to think of each and every special one around me, whether it's for gift-giving or not. And just as the cold winter air is invigorating, it is truly refreshing to sometimes "be still" in the midst of the holiday craziness and think about the really valuable things in life. Of course - the warm embrace of holiday spirit is just as wonderful!! (Oh and how could I forget CHRISTMAS MUSIC?)




In light of this, and in celebration of all the abundant and delectable food we are fortunate to enjoy during this time, I thought I'd do a series on Holiday Treat this year! I did a Christmas-Bake-A-Thon a few years back (Oh dear, has it been that long ago? I did this in 2008!) and made a variety of cookies: Madelines, Traditional Shortbread, Pecan Bars, Lemon Squares. So there's just ten days until Christmas but I'm going to try to make as many festive treats as I can!



The first cookie is a cookie that I baked for my husband's work christmas cookie exchange. When they announced it at work, Andrew automatically signed up right away. He kindly "command-asked" me, as if I had any other option! But really, it's quite cute how he lights up for any chance he gets to show off his wife's baking. I also received a beautiful hunk of Callebaut dark chocolate from a close friend of mine as a housewarming gift. I've been waiting and waiting for the right chance to use it and this was perfect. I looked for a recipe that would best showcase the quality chocolate and so I found these rich chocolate toffee cookies from smitten kitchen.



These cookies are very rich and fudgy but the sharp sweetness of the toffee and nutty flavour of the walnut really balance it out nicely. Also, the instructions call for an almost meringue stage for the egg and sugar so you can really feel some of that lightness coincided with the super rich chocolate butter mixture. Another key thing about making these cookies right is the baking time. Please please don't over bake it!! It's all about slightly underbaking it (ever-so slightly) and letting it cook as it cools. These cookies taste better when completely cooled so remember your patience will be rewarded while you stare down these beauties on the cooling rack. Well, let's just say that I got a report from my husband that these cookies were the first to be gone – they were the most popular! It probably helped that I made them bite-sized; it's a lot of flavour so I figured a smaller cookie will entice, not overwhelm. I hope this is a nice introduction to our delicious holiday to come! I hope all of you a sweet Holiday filled with joy and peace!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

makes 5 dozen small cookies
recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered English toffee bars (such as Skor or Heath), coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

directions

1. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

2. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.

3. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes. Slice and bake option: I used the slice and bake option for easier handling and even sizes. After chilling until firm, roll the dough into a log 1-inch in diameter and chill again for 20 minutes. When ready to bake the cookies, cut it into 1/2-inch slices. You can store the dough log in the freezer, wrapped in waxed paper and then two layers of plastic wrap for up to a month, just baking the cookies off as you need. Cookies baked straight from the freezer may need an additional minute or two in the oven, depending on their thickness.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by half-tablespoon onto sheets, or place slices of cookie dough, about 1-inch apart. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if you’re using it. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on sheets.

These cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Tête-à-tête.

I'm really grateful I have a blog. Otherwise, I'd be blabbing to poor Andrew all day (and trust me, he's an extraordinary listener too) or, to the particles in the air. I wasn't always this chatty, but at some point, I really started love talking about lots of different things. I most likely get it after my dad, who's an amazing father that loves to converse about everything with us, especially the "deep" stuff. "Life" is one of my favourite topics. I love thinking about why we are a certain way and what we could do to make our lives more meaningful. And it's not like I live like a saint or anything. I just love to think about it, talk about it, and then hope that some day it'll become an action and a lifestyle. But anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm grateful that I have this space where I can just ramble on about things I'm experiencing and learning — whether or not someone's listening. It's really just an intimate time for me as I sit down to write. :)



I don't mind if you're coming to simply check out the recipes and pictures. And I'm surprised that there are people who even read my stories!! I don't want to burden you with my boring personal stuff! So, in light of this, today I will — without adornment or agenda – just talk to you about a new recipe! Say hello to the crème brûlée cupcake.



A few days ago, I decided to visit the studio I was working at before. My coworker jokingly threatened to "defriend" me if I didn't bring cupcakes when I visited, and I told him that I dare not. Plus, what would a visit be without treats to come along with? Anyways, I really wanted to do something different and original, since they've tried a number of treats I've baked. Also, they're aren't crazy about extremely sweet things so I had to do my brain-racking for a delicious but humble treat. I was trying to figure out something festive too, so a good place to start getting inspiration was the different holiday-themed beverages at starbucks. (haha! funny how the mind works.) And then I thought their crème brûlée latté was just the thing! A toasty, creamy, custardy cupcake. Perfect!!



I began my research by googling "crème brûlée cupcakes" and found that there weren't that many options. A lot of them were cupcakes "inspired" by the crème brûlée flavour. Caramel swirled into the cake, meringue topped, or sugar flamed frosting. None of it sounded that appealing to me, so then I thought, why not just make real crème brûlée and incorporate it with the cake? So that's what I did. And it was a trés trés good idea.



I made my crème brûlée in a larger pan, made a simple yellow buttermilk cake and then filled it. No frosting needed, just a nice adornment on top. I originally thought of buying a kitchen blow torch, sprinkling sugar on the cupcake and burning it, but it was just all too much work to get set up with a blow torch. That will be for next time. Instead, I made candied (and slightly burnt) sugar decorations to carry on the theme.



Making crème brûlée is surprisingly easy. I don't know why I was also so intimidated by those smooth, pudding-y desserts, but now I've totally overcome it. With the help of joepastry (who also happens my new baking hero: his blog is simply amazing. smart, funny, practical and super helpful), I made crème brûlée really easily and had it ready the day before I made the cupcakes. I really want to try to make it just on its' own as the real thing. I think crème brûlée is such a romantic dessert and it's got so many different layers of deliciousness.



I also used a new recipe for my vanilla cake and might I say, I think I found the one. I mean, the one. It's from smittenkitchen, and she even said that this is that special, indispensable cake for her. I'm thoroughly impressed and now will switch it with every yellow cake I've made.



As for reviews of my new found combination of french delicacy and good ol' American staple? My friends absolutely LOVED it. They even said that it was be the BEST of what I've brought in all this time and that's saying a lot!! Not too sweet, but with lots of flavour and great textures. They're both great recipes on their own, but an even greater marriage together!!

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

crème brûlée recipe from joe pastry and yellow layer cake recipe from smitten kitchen

makes about 12 cupcakes

ingredients

for cake
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

for crème brûlée
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

for sugar decoration
1 cup of granulated sugar

directions

make crème brûlée
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, set a small saucepan of water (or a teapot) over low heat.

2. Pour the cream into a small saucepan, along with the vanilla extract and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately remove the cream from the heat and allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks together in a medium bowl until they're light in color. Add the cream in a steady stream, whisking all the while. Pour the mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins, (OR in my case, in a small pan.) Place the ramekins into a roasting pan or baking dish.

4. When ready to bake, put on an oven mitt and open the oven door. Slide a middle rack half way out and gently place the baking dish containing the ramekins on it. Carefully pour in enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins. Slide the rack back into the oven and close the door.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or (40-45 minutes for a larger pan like mine) until the custard is just set (firm but slightly jiggly in the middle). Cool on a wire rack, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or up to three days.

For just the crème brûlée on its own: Half an hour before you want to serve, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator. Take off the plastic wrap and spread a healthy tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Using a salamander or a blow torch, melt and lightly brown the sugar. Let the crème brûlée sit for 5 minutes, and serve.

make cake
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with cups.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.

3. Spread batter evenly in cupcake pan. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before filling or decorating.

make sugar decoration and assemble cupcakes
1. In a small sauce pan with a heavy bottom, pour a cup of sugar on medium-high heat. Without using a spatula, simply swirl the pan itself often in order to ensure even heating. Slowly but surely, the sugar will start to caramelize. When the colour starts to darken, and it will smoke just a bit, immediately take off heat. When sugar passes its melting point, it will burn very very quickly. It's also useful to use a sugar thermometer to ensure the perfect amount of melting. (300-310°F for hard candy).

2. Quickly pour onto silpat or non-stick surface and let it spread into a thin layer. After it cools to room temperature, place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once completely harden, break into funky pieces for decoration.

3. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, make a cone-shaped hole in each cupcake about the size of a loonie (for Canadians) or a silver dollar (for Americans). Fill it up with a tablespoon of cold crème brûlée (I used my small ice-cream scoop for cookies). Place sugar decoration on top and it's ready to serve!

I ♥ MY BF (aka Breakfast)

Breakfast is like ignition to your car. The strike of a match. The momentous take-off of a high jump into the air. It's the most happiest morning alarm. And the only answer to the roaring growl of my stomach.



I like breakfast. Breakfast means so much to me. I can't function properly without food in my belly. It is impossible for me to understand breakfast-skippers. Especially when breakfast can be so easy and delicious. Breakfast sandwiches for example. Or Buttermilk Pancakes. Or how about French toast? French toast is even more awesome because it gets rid of your impossible stale bread. The French are geniuses!



My friends, let us have breakfast! According to wikipedia, "Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day, citing studies that find that people who skip breakfast are disproportionately likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, and weight." Take a few moments in the morning to treat your body and your mind. Maybe share this time with your loved ones and start off on a sweet note.

Classic French Toast

makes 4 servings

ingredients

8 pieces of sliced french baguette or any other bread
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tbsp of sugar
dash of salt

butter or canola oil for cooking
powdered sugar, optional

directions

1. In a shallow baking dish, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and salt.
2. Place pieces of bread onto the dish. Soak at least 5 minutes and flip over. (The longer the soak, the more flavourful. But this is usually good for really stale bread. The fresher the bread, the more soggy it might be. So maybe not too long!)
3. Heat butter or oil on a pan on medium heat. Place soaked bread and cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
4. Set cooked toasts on plates and dust with powered sugar, if desired. Serve with syrup and enjoy breakfast!