Pumpkin Spice French Toast
(Comfort food for when your heart feels heavy)
Hi friends. I’ve struggled to write this newsletter because my heart is so heavy. What has unfolded this past week in Israel is truly unfathomable, and I am grieving for the people who have lost their lives, their homes, and their loved ones (both in Israel and in Palestine). I know many of you are feeling heartbroken and helpless, and I hope you’re finding the support you need. I don’t have the words to explain the nuance of this situation, but I highly recommend reading Leah Koenig’s beautiful essay “Seeking Humanity Over Hot Takes” in her newsletter The Jewish Table. Also, I found this article by Isaac Saul on Tangle to be very helpful in understanding the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine Crisis.
What I do know is that when I feel heavy-hearted, I find comfort in the kitchen. Even better: cooking with, and for, friends. Today, I got to do just that. We are in South Carolina visiting some of our best friends, the Veigas, and for breakfast, I made everyone my new favorite fall treat: Pumpkin Spice French Toast. It felt so good to sit around the table together, drinking coffee and catching up on life, and watching our kids reconnect with each other after a year apart.
You should already have most of these ingredients at home (eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon) - you’ll just need to pick up a loaf of Pumpkin Brioche Twist from Trader Joe’s. This recipe is so easy and deeply satisfying, and I truly hope it brings you comfort in the midst of a dark time. I highly recommend sharing with friends.
PUMPKIN SPICE FRENCH TOAST
Serves 6*
4 eggs
1 cup milk (2% or whole)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 loaf Pumpkin Brioche Twist (from Trader Joe’s)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving
Maple syrup, for serving
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Have two baking sheets handy.
In a 9x12-inch glass casserole dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. I use a casserole dish because it’s so much easier to soak the bread in a flat-bottomed dish rather than a bowl, and you can soak many pieces at once.
(This is totally optional, but I like to cut the end pieces of the loaf in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. They are really thick, and if you cut them in half, you’ll get 11 pieces of French toast instead of 9.)
Place 5 or 6 pieces of pumpkin brioche into the egg batter - they should form a single layer. Let soak for about 30 seconds, then turn the bread and soak the other side for 30 seconds. Move the soaked bread to a baking sheet and soak the remaining pieces of brioche in the egg mixture on both sides; transfer to the baking sheet.
Meanwhile, heat half of the butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Cook the French toast for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to the clean baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve. Heat the remaining butter and cook the rest of the French toast.
(If you have two skillets, feel free to use two at the same time to speed up the cooking process, using 1.5 tablespoons of butter in each skillet.)
Serve warm with butter and syrup. Optional: top with chopped, toasted pecans.
*If you want to make this for 3-4 people, simply halve the recipe.
Since you can’t live on French toast alone (unfortunately!), here are a few other fall recipe ideas for the week:
Also: for those of you who live in Nashville and would like to take a cooking class with me, I teach regularly at The Kitchen! My Fall Soups and French Bistro classes are sold out, but there are another couple of spots left in my Seafood 101 if you’d like to join.
Sending all of you lots of love!
XO, Anna