At the start of the holiday season (which is apparently October) Shannon and I did an egg nog taste test to determine our preferences. Our overall favorite was the Quebon variety, which was sweeter and made a better addition to morning coffee and a bolder counterpart to rum or brandy.
Then, for some reason, it just so happened that the Quebon brand was the only one that would ever go on sale, so naturally, we were even more likely to buy that. Unfortunately, egg nog season is now winding down (the latest expiration date I’ve seen is January 5) and we’ll just be left to drink our bourbon-like God intended it to be.
In the meantime, if you happen to have a stockpile of nog rapidly approaching its expiration date, perhaps you’d like to use some for this eggnog French toast that I made for breakfast on Christmas eve. With a nice maple-infused crust and gentle warming spices, it goes perfectly with some cranberry or apple compote or, you know, butter.
French toast likely evolved as a way of using up old bread and stood the test of time for its deliciousness. To me, that old bread is the secret to really good French toast. It needs to be able to soak up the ingredients without becoming a soggy mess. A few days old brioche or challah are fantastic, but a nice country loaf or baguette is great as well, naturally. Egg nog, consisting of eggs, dairy, sugar, and spices, is a perfect milk substitute in a dish that would otherwise be flavored with eggs, dairy, sugar, and spices!
Egg Nog French Toast
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups egg nog
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 4 thick (1″) slices dry white bread
- 4 tablespoons coarse sugar
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees or the warming setting.
Whisk together the eggs, egg nog, and vanilla extract in a bowl roughly the same dimensions as your bread slices and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add a tablespoon of the butter. While it is melting, soak one slice of the bread in the egg nog mixture, making sure to soak both sides and that you soak it long enough to penetrate inside.
Let any excess batter drip from the bread and then put it in the pan. If your skillet can hold two slices comfortably, soak and add another slice as well. Sprinkle the slices generously with coarse sugar (I like to add this as they’re frying because it doesn’t dissolve as much, feel free to just add it to the batter) and fry until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.
Transfer the cooked slices to a pan in the warmed oven and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Once all the French toast has been cooked, add the remaining butter to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Swirl it around the pan, watching it carefully, until it bubbles and browns. When it just begins to smell nutty, add the maple syrup in one go and cook it for another minute until it binds and becomes a sauce. Return the French toast to the pan to soak up the maple butter sauce, then serve immediately.
