challah french toast

You can probably tell that I'm a big fan of pan-fried batter and maple syrup. With fresh berries and butter, of course. It doesn't get much better than this. Waffles and pancakes are recurring posts on my Insta feed, and I would be remiss if I left out French toast. 

French toast originated in medieval Europe. While the clergy and nobles feasted on suckling pig and boar sausage, the less fortunate peasants were left to their own devices. Bread, of course, was a staple of the peasant class. Soaking stale bread in a mixture of milk and egg and frying the bread in a cast iron pan was a surefire way to salvage an ailing food. Hence the birth of pain perdu, or "lost bread" in French. It is one of the many famous dishes born out of hardship. 

Many centuries later, French toast is a customer favorite on brunch menus across America, and it's incredibly easy to make at home with ingredients that you've probably got on hand. Pillowy challah bread is one of the best breads (I imagine brioche is great as well!) for French toast because it sops up more of the milk/egg/spice mixture than, say, a slice of Pepperidge Farm allows. 

Styling sidebar: For this photoshoot, I swapped out my dark wood surfaces for white and concrete. I did this for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted the apothecary jars to pop, as they would've been lost against a walnut surface. The second reason was that I wanted to convey a frosty, wintery aesthetic. This winter, I will definitely stick with my standard moody photos, but I like the idea of throwing in some soft white surfaces as well. It's different. What do you guys think? Would you like to see more of this monochromatic grey/white look? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

recipe 

• 6 large brown eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 dashes nutmeg
• 2 dashes ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 loaf challah bread
• Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, ground ginger, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Whisk together until homogenized.
3. Slice the bread into one-inch thick slices. Soak each slice in the mixture for two minutes on each side. Try to fit in as many slices as you can without overcrowding the bowl.
4. Put one tablespoon each of butter and vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high. Stir quickly with a spatula to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the soaked bread. Cook each slice for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat the frying process with the remaining slices, adding more butter and oil to the pan as needed.
5. Serve warm and top with butter, powdered sugar, berries and maple syrup. Eat and repeat. Enjoy!

If you make this recipe, hashtag a pic to #spiceandhutch and post to Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. I'd love to see your culinary creations!

Adapted from Ina Garten

tuna niçoise tartine

If I could pick one thing to eat for lunch for the rest of my life, it would be tuna niçoise tartine. The confit garlic aïoli goes beautifully with a medley of fresh herbs as well as the salty acidic punch that you get from the olives and cornichon. 

A tartine is an open-faced French sandwich with savory or sweet toppings. This variation is basically a tuna sandwich on steroids, and it doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Recipe is below.

recipe

for the confit garlic aïoli:

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 8 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 5 oz canola oil
• 1 large brown egg
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

for the tuna salad:

• 8 oz canned tuna in oil, drained
• 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cornichon, finely chopped
• 2 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp chervil, finely chopped
• 2 tsp capers, finely chopped
• 2 tsp shallot, minced
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• salt and pepper 

to serve:

• 4 thick slices sourdough or pain de campagne
• 4 romaine or butter lettuce leaves
• 12 Niçoise or kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp chives, minced
• 8 whole cornichon

1. To make the confit garlic aïoli, pour half of the olive oil into a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook on low heat for about 20-30 minutes until the garlic becomes soft. Keep a close eye on it - the garlic browns and burns very easily!
2. Remove the garlic and set aside. Combine the garlic oil with the remaining half cup of olive oil and the canola oil. Stir to combine.
3. Run the three garlic cloves, the lemon juice, and the egg through a food processor for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Then, with the motor running, pour in the combined oils very, very slowly. You want a tiny thread of oil pouring from your spout. The aioli won't emulsify properly if you pour too quickly, so be patient with it. Once you have added the combined oils and the mixture has thickened, turn off the machine and season to taste, if needed. 
4. In a medium-sized bowl, add the chopped herbs, capers, cornichon and shallot, the strained tuna, the lemon juice, the paprika, a half cup of the aïoli, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together until nicely combined. Season to taste. 
5. To assemble the tartines, spread a dollop of the aïoli on each of the four slices of bread. Add 1-2 leaves of the romaine or butter lettuce leaves and a couple heaping tablespoons of the tuna salad to each slice of bread. Top each tartine with the radishes and boiled eggs and olives, and garnish with the minced chives and smoked paprika and whole cornichon. Serve immediately.

Adapted from the Bouchon by Thomas Keller

If you make this recipe, hashtag a pic to #spiceandhutch and post to Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. I'd love to see your culinary creations!