I never liked French toast, but when I saw that Italian goddess Giada de Laurentiis make an Italian version of it I got a little curious. I’m not a foodie, and I don’t particularly follow recipes, instructions, or opinions of other people…so I thought I might try my version of her recipe. Like a lazy comfort food version of a gourmet foreign dish. If you’re a purist, you can find her recipe on Food Network here. If you’re lazy and want to get on with the mimosas, my version and process-in-pictures of her recipe is below.
The key ingredient is the Panetonne bread, found almost anywhere (surprisingly). It’s something crossed between a bread, cake, and fruitcake…and it’s briliant! Giada suggests removing the paper, cutting the top and bottom (and setting those aside for toast), and cutting the remaining loaf into “slices.” Alright, easy enough…
Here’s where I got lazy (but it totally worked for me, so hear me out): I drank mimosas, stopped reading specifics, and just started throwing the following ingredients into a Kitchen Aid.
6 eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup milk (the good stuff…just stop with the skim stuff)
1/2 cup marscapone
Shake, shake, shake of cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (it’s ok…no one is looking)
Whisk, blend, or vigorously stir those ingredients together. Pour into flat(ish) bowl. In medium skillet or griddle on medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter (or however much you want, I won’t judge). Set bread slices in mixture on both sides to soak. The chunks of marscapone are slightly frightening but just go with it.
Cook slices on both sides until golden brown or uncomfortably scorched (my preference). Giada serves hers with homemade syrup, but I have an abundance of homemade preserves in the fridge so we enjoyed our Italian toast with that. I bet it would also be good with ice cream. Yeah, for breakfast/brunch. This stuff is so so so rich. If you’re lactose intolerant…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.