We never really had French Toast in our house, or "Eggy Bread" as we call it over here. I remember seeing it for the first time in Kramer v Kramer. I have since become quite fond of it though, not necessarily for breakfast but for when I crave something sweet and don't want to go to the trouble of making pancakes.. I find the taste is quite similar. It's also a great way of using up stale bread.
Plain French Toast is just bread dipped both sides in beaten egg thinned with a little milk (or water if you've no milk in), then fried in butter until golden brown. It's up to you what you do with it thereafter. You can make it savoury or sweet...
INGREDIENTS
2 Slices of Bread
1 Egg
2 Dessert Spoons Milk
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (optional)
Knob of Butter
Drop of Vegetable Oil (this stops the butter from burning)
METHOD
Soak the bread slices in the eggy mixture for 5 minutes a side
Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan
Fry the egg-soaked bread until golden on both sides
VARIATION - ROLL UPS
Cut the crusts off the bread slices
With a rolling pin flatten the bread slices
Spread filling of your choice
Roll up the bread as tightly as you can into a sausage shape
Soak in the egg mixture on all sides
Cook as above
SERVING IDEAS
Savoury
Serve on it's own or with bacon
Make a sandwich with..
Cheese
Cheese and Ham
Cheese and Tomato
Cheese and Onion
Press sandwich together to help it hold, soak in the egg mixture, fry on both sides
Tip.. finely grate the cheese and mix with a little mayonnaise to make a spread
Make roll ups filled with any savoury filling as above
Sweet
After cooking dredge with..
Sugar
Sugar and a little Lemon Juice
Icing Sugar
Cinnamon Sugar (a little cinnamon mixed with sugar)
Golden Syrup
Maple Syrup
Or top with Marmalade! A favourite of mine, acquired during my time at boarding school, is fried bread and marmalade… trust me it's delicious! Topping Eggy Bread with Marmalade is pretty good too.
Make roll ups filled with..
Peanut Butter
Nutella / Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Jam
Lemon Curd
Thinly sliced Banana*
Thinly sliced Strawberries*
*Don't overfill with fruit or have the slices too thick or you'll have trouble rolling them up. When you put them into the egg mixture to soak, put the side with the join at the bottom so that it soaks up the egg mixture first.. it helps to seal the join.
After cooking dredge with any of the above toppings, sugar, syrup etc.
If desired top with Cream / Crème fraîche / Yoghurt
Filling the Roll Up with Strawberry Jam and dredging in Sugar after cooking tastes remarkably like a Jam Doughnut! You can also cut the Roll Ups into bite sized portions so that you can eat them with your fingers.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label peanut butter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peanut butter. Show all posts
QUICK & HEALTHY BREAKFAST / GRANOLA BARS
I've tried many different recipes for Breakfast / Granola Bars but have never found one that I've been completely happy with, probably because I like to switch ingredients. Finally I've found a way to do it that's simple, it takes a few minutes to prepare, no weighing scales are needed and you can switch the ingredients as much as you like. You just need to stick to the same ratio of wet and dry ingredients. 2 cups of dry ingredients and 2 cups of wet. 1 cup of the dry ingredients must be porridge oats.
DRY INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of Porridge Oats
1 Cup of Nuts/Seeds/Dried Fruit of your choice
WET INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of Honey (Or a mix of Honey and Maple Syrup)
1 Cup of Nut Butter (Peanut/Almond/Cashew)
FLAVOURINGS
1 Large Tablespoon of Coconut Oil (measured cold)
Half Teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon (optional)
1 Cup of Nuts/Seeds/Dried Fruit of your choice
WET INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of Honey (Or a mix of Honey and Maple Syrup)
1 Cup of Nut Butter (Peanut/Almond/Cashew)
FLAVOURINGS
1 Large Tablespoon of Coconut Oil (measured cold)
Half Teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon (optional)
NOTES
Accuracy isn't key. Once you've done it a few times you'll soon get to know if it's a bit too wet or a bit too dry and adjust the ingredients accordingly. Just don't add too much fat or they will be greasy.
I tend to add a bit more of the dried fruit and nuts. Only because the mix that I buy comes in a 175g bag, a bit more than 1 cup so I just add the whole thing, I don't even bother to chop the nuts but that's up to you. I also add a couple of tablespoons of Milled Linseed that has Goji Berries and Seeds (Aldi) or you could add some Wheatgerm. I tend to use Coconut Oil but you could also use Olive Oil or Butter if you prefer their taste. You can use any type of nut butter but I prefer Peanut Butter. If you've not got enough honey you can always add a few spoons of brown sugar but try not to add too much as the idea is to keep these bars as healthy as possible and without refined sugar. If you've got some honey in the cupboard that's crystallised this is a great way to use it up. You could also use Agave Syrup. You can omit the Cinnamon if you like but it is good for you! You can also add a little Vanilla Extract.
Accuracy isn't key. Once you've done it a few times you'll soon get to know if it's a bit too wet or a bit too dry and adjust the ingredients accordingly. Just don't add too much fat or they will be greasy.
I tend to add a bit more of the dried fruit and nuts. Only because the mix that I buy comes in a 175g bag, a bit more than 1 cup so I just add the whole thing, I don't even bother to chop the nuts but that's up to you. I also add a couple of tablespoons of Milled Linseed that has Goji Berries and Seeds (Aldi) or you could add some Wheatgerm. I tend to use Coconut Oil but you could also use Olive Oil or Butter if you prefer their taste. You can use any type of nut butter but I prefer Peanut Butter. If you've not got enough honey you can always add a few spoons of brown sugar but try not to add too much as the idea is to keep these bars as healthy as possible and without refined sugar. If you've got some honey in the cupboard that's crystallised this is a great way to use it up. You could also use Agave Syrup. You can omit the Cinnamon if you like but it is good for you! You can also add a little Vanilla Extract.
METHOD
Start by melting the Nut Butter, Honey and Coconut Oil together so that it's easy to mix into the dry ingredients. I do it in the microwave for a few seconds. Use a bowl big enough to mix all the ingredients so that you don't lose any by having to transfer it. You could also melt it in a pan and use the pan as a mixing bowl.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the melted wet ingredients and mix well.
Line a baking or roasting tray with greaseproof paper. Then they won't stick and it's easy to lift them out and cut into bars. To make the greaseproof paper easier to handle run it under the tap, wring it out to get rid of the water and then smooth it out and line the tray. It works, try it!
Tip out the mixture into the tray and spread it out with your hands until it's even. Wet your hands first so that they don't stick to the mixture and press it down into the tray getting into the corners. If your tray is too big just use a knife to push up the mixture and make a neat edge and pull up the greaseproof paper to the edge.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180c for about 30 minutes for a chewy bar but keep an eye on them. If you want a crunchy bar they need to be baked until the edges are a nice golden brown but they can go from golden to burnt in minutes. If you can smell them it's time to take them out!
When you take them out of the oven they will be soft which can make you think they're not cooked but they will harden up as they cool. Leave them to completely cool then lift them out of the tray using the greaseproof paper and cut into squares or bars.
STORAGE
Cut bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 to 10 days but I doubt they'll be around that long! If you want to make a big batch they can also be frozen for up to four months.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the melted wet ingredients and mix well.
Line a baking or roasting tray with greaseproof paper. Then they won't stick and it's easy to lift them out and cut into bars. To make the greaseproof paper easier to handle run it under the tap, wring it out to get rid of the water and then smooth it out and line the tray. It works, try it!
Tip out the mixture into the tray and spread it out with your hands until it's even. Wet your hands first so that they don't stick to the mixture and press it down into the tray getting into the corners. If your tray is too big just use a knife to push up the mixture and make a neat edge and pull up the greaseproof paper to the edge.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180c for about 30 minutes for a chewy bar but keep an eye on them. If you want a crunchy bar they need to be baked until the edges are a nice golden brown but they can go from golden to burnt in minutes. If you can smell them it's time to take them out!
When you take them out of the oven they will be soft which can make you think they're not cooked but they will harden up as they cool. Leave them to completely cool then lift them out of the tray using the greaseproof paper and cut into squares or bars.
STORAGE
Cut bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 to 10 days but I doubt they'll be around that long! If you want to make a big batch they can also be frozen for up to four months.
CHICKEN SATAY
This recipe was given to me by a Thai lady. Sorry, no quantities as I do it by eye and taste. For the marinade the main ingredient is the oil. Don't add too much Soy Sauce or it will be salty and you only want a splash of Fish Sauce.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken fillet or thighs cut into strips or bite sized pieces
MARINADE:
Olive Oil (You could also use Coconut Oil or Sesame Oil)
Soy Sauce
Freshly Grated Ginger
Minced Garlic
Chinese / Thai Fish Sauce
Chopped Chilli (optional)
PEANUT SAUCE:
Crunchy Peanut Butter
Milk / Coconut Milk
Soy Sauce
Chinese / Thai Fish Sauce
Honey / Brown Sugar
Note: If you would like the chicken to be sticky you could add some honey to the marinade. Also if you would like the sauce to be slightly spicy you could add a little chopped chilli
METHOD
Mix all the marinade ingredients together, place in a dish along with the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure all the chicken is covered with the marinade. Cover the dish with cling film and place in the fridge. Leave to marinate for a few hours.
To make the peanut sauce place the peanut butter in a pan with a little milk, a splash of soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce and a drizzle of honey. Heat through stirring all the time and add more milk as needed until the sauce is the right consistency. Be careful not to overheat or the sauce with thicken too much. Taste and add soy sauce and honey to taste, bearing in mind that soy sauce is salty.
When you're ready to cook the chicken thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, don't pack them too tightly and then they will cook quickly. Cook either under the grill or on the barbecue. Serve with the warm peanut sauce.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken fillet or thighs cut into strips or bite sized pieces
MARINADE:
Olive Oil (You could also use Coconut Oil or Sesame Oil)
Soy Sauce
Freshly Grated Ginger
Minced Garlic
Chinese / Thai Fish Sauce
Chopped Chilli (optional)
PEANUT SAUCE:
Crunchy Peanut Butter
Milk / Coconut Milk
Soy Sauce
Chinese / Thai Fish Sauce
Honey / Brown Sugar
Note: If you would like the chicken to be sticky you could add some honey to the marinade. Also if you would like the sauce to be slightly spicy you could add a little chopped chilli
METHOD
Mix all the marinade ingredients together, place in a dish along with the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure all the chicken is covered with the marinade. Cover the dish with cling film and place in the fridge. Leave to marinate for a few hours.
To make the peanut sauce place the peanut butter in a pan with a little milk, a splash of soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce and a drizzle of honey. Heat through stirring all the time and add more milk as needed until the sauce is the right consistency. Be careful not to overheat or the sauce with thicken too much. Taste and add soy sauce and honey to taste, bearing in mind that soy sauce is salty.
When you're ready to cook the chicken thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, don't pack them too tightly and then they will cook quickly. Cook either under the grill or on the barbecue. Serve with the warm peanut sauce.