Monday, August 22, 2016

"Crème brûlée" French toast??

Recipe from Saveur -- crème brûlée French toast.  

Lovely recipe.  For French toast.  Seriously, who needs a recipe for French toast?  I'm all for calling things what they are, but this is verbal decoration with no value.

"Oh, it's not just French toast.  It's crème brûlée French toast!"

If you call a mixture of eggs and cream (or milk, for that matter), "crème brûlée," then what French toast isn't "crème brûlée"?

French toast is bread soaked in egg and milk, typically sweetened a bit, and often with cinnamon.  How is this different?  I'd understand if, after you fry the custard-soaked bread, you were to sprinkle it with sugar, and torch it to create a glassy crust.  After all, that's what makes crème brûlée crème brûlée, and not just plain old custard.  But you don't. 

And please don't tell me it's because cream is called for, rather than milk.  Any cook worth his salt would readily use whatever's in the fridge -- milk, half and half, cream -- for French toast.  And has. 

The next culinary innovations I'm waiting for:

Guacamole avocado toast
Pomodoro tomato sauce

Crap.  I'm too late!