Amaretto French Toast

As a kid, I looked forward to weekends mostly because my dad would get up early and cook us a grand breakfast. I vividly remember waking up to the smell of his cooking - the scent of sizzling bacon, slightly charred toast, and scrambled eggs drifting down the hallway as it made its way to my bedroom. I still like to wake up on the weekends and cook such a breakfast at least once a month. It is a welcome change to cold cereal.

This morning I woke up to half a loaf of Italian bread that had gone stale. It was perfect for this adultified version of french toast. If you're serving this to kids or simply do not wish to use alcohol, feel free to leave it out completely and add a teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract in its place.

Amaretto French Toast

8-10 slices of day old Italian or French bread, cut 3/4" thick
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup amaretto
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. butter

Arrange bread slices in a glass basking dish. Whisk all remaining ingredients except for the butter together in another bowl until just a bit frothy. Now pour this over the sliced bread, making sure each slice is liberally doused. Turn over each slice, just to ensure that all pieces are evenly coated. Allow this to rest for about 10 minutes.

Heat up a large skillet or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. When the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the custard-soaked bread. You'll more than likely have to do this in batches - I could fit 4 slices in my skillet without crowding them. You can keep the cooked slices on a cookie sheet in a low oven to keep them warm while the others are cooking.

Cook each slice of bread for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until it turns golden brown and the edges are slightly crispy.

This is wonderful served with butter and warmed maple syrup that's been blended with a bit more amaretto.