Defining Decadence

Times may be hard but it's important to preserve tradition -- for example, Sunday brunch with the family. This week, we made our favorite French toast recipe using Blackmarket Bakery's Currant and Cinnamon Brioche.

This turned out wonderful, as usual, with a crispy crust, rich, soft middle, and lots of juicy currants. Our problem arose when we used up all the brioche and still had leftover batter. What to do? My gaze fell upon the Berry Cream Cheese Croissant.

This sounds crazy until you put it in your mouth; then you wonder why you never tried it. It was outstandingly incredible. The croissant dough fried up beautifully, and the raspberries and cream cheese filling were sealed in by the batter so they didn't ooze out and make a mess. Did I mention how tasty this was? It's exactly the kind of decadence we need in these hard times. You can skip the maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries cuz it's got it all built in, thus saving money AND calories. (Okay, maybe not calories.) Bon apetit!

--jeniffer*

Blackmarket Bakery's Depression French Toast
(adapted from The New Best Recipe)

1 large egg
2 T butter, melted (plus extra for frying)
3/4 C milk
2 t vanilla extract
2 T sugar
1/3 C AP flour
1/4 t salt
2 to 3 Blackmarket Bakery Berry Cream Cheese Croissants (or Cinnamon
Currant Brioche), sliced about 1" thick

Heat heavy skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Beat egg lightly, whisk in butter, then milk and vanilla. Add sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk until smooth.

Swirl 1 T butter in hot pan. Dip bread just until coated and let excess drip off, then lay on hot pan -- filling side down. Repeat until the pan is full. Fry until golden then turn; the other side will cook faster. If you like more crust, cook all four sides. Add 1 T butter to
skillet for each new batch.