Father's Day French Toast

Most Father's Day recipes are probably dedicated to "manly" foods.  Beef!  Pork!  Potatoes!  But, when it comes to my own father and food, I think of one thing: Breakfast.

I don't think my dad would argue with me if I were to say he's not exactly a culinary master.  He can make a mean grilled cheese or peanut butter and banana sandwich, but there's a reason most evenings saw my mom in the kitchen trying to put together a meal that neither of her picky children would complain about. (Sorry, Mom!  I got better.)

The big exception was Saturday mornings.  Saturday mornings are the best when you're a kid.  No school, no errands, nothing but sleeping in, TV, video games, and maybe some street hockey.  Truthfully, though, I may never have made it past the "sleeping in" part if it weren't for my Dad's Saturday morning breakfasts.

On countless Saturdays I woke to the smell of bacon frying and the sound of my dog's feet pitter-pattering on the kitchen floor, no doubt following around said bacon in the hopes that some would drop into his waiting mouth.  I'd follow the smell down to the kitchen where my dad would be making pancakes, or french toast, or eggs.  He'd set a plate in front of me and I'd dig in, bleary-eyed,  while the dog would sit patiently nearby - three feet away from his half-full food dish - and stare at me as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.

My mom always liked it when Dad made french toast, and it's one of my favorites, too.  Any time I get to put powdered sugar and syrup on breakfast, it's a good morning.  So I decided to make my own version of french toast for Father's Day.  Hopefully my dad will appreciate the thought, even though I can't exactly ship french toast out to Texas for him to eat himself.


My dad always used whatever bread was lying around the kitchen - if we were lucky, there'd be some leftover crusty bread from a meal earlier in the week.  I went a little fancy with mine and picked up some brioche from my favorite baker at the Farmer's Market.  That plus the cream rather than milk in my custard makes this a pretty decadent french toast.  I don't think Dad will mind the changes.

Father's Day French Toast
Day Old Brioche, sliced 1" thick
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 Tablespoons butter

Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet or griddle on medium-high.  Whisk together eggs, cream, cinnamon and sugar.  Soak bread in custard mixture.  Cook bread in skillet until lightly browned - 2-3 minutes on each side.  Top with optional fruit, powdered sugar, or syrup and eat!  Be sure to fry up some bacon to go on the side - and don't give any to your dog.  He's got plenty of his own food.