Spanish Style French Toast (Torrijas)

Ingredients

• milk (4 cups)
• white sugar (0.5 cups)
• salt (0.25 teaspoon)
• orange (1 )
• lemon (1 )
• cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• cloves (2 )
• vanilla extract (1.5 teaspoons)
• egg yolks (3 )
• whole eggs (2 )
• French bread or brioche (4 slices)
• olive oil (1 cup)
• turbinado sugar (4 tablespoons)

Instructions

1. Combine milk, white sugar, salt, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla in a saucepan, whisk, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
2. Strain milk through a mesh strainer and transfer 2 cups into a shallow dish in which to soak stale bread; set aside.
3. Transfer remaining 2 cups infused milk into a saucepan to make the custard sauce; add yolks and whisk thoroughly. Return saucepan to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer. Let cool and refrigerate until needed.
4. Soak stale bread in milk, turning a few times, until most of the milk is absorbed and bread is saturated. Remove to a pan or plate and refrigerate until needed.
5. Beat whole eggs in a wide shallow bowl. Coat bread on both sides in the egg.
6. Pour olive oil into a non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Fry soaked bread until browned and puffed, about 4 minutes per side. The bread will spring back when touched in the center.
7. Remove to a plate. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar. Use a blowtorch with a low flame to brûlée the surface. Serve immediately with custard sauce.

Nutrition

(*Nutrition data is approximate and may vary depending on the brand and type of ingredients used.)

• kcal: 874
• fat: 17 g
• sats: 6 g
• carbs: 161 g
• fibre: 15 g
• protein: 30 g
• salt: 0.875 g