This recipe collection is really three different recipes for different types of French toast. I tried the fancy one (Crème brulee) and Marie did the Bananas Foster, and they are terrific. Watch for my special instructions in the latter recipe.

Ingredients:

3 extra large or 2 jumbo eggs

½ cup milk

2 tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla

6 slices day old bread

6 tbsp. butter

Fruit, syrup or confectioners sugar

Directions:

Set the oven temperature at 200ºF and put a saucer or small plate in the oven. It will be used to hold the French toast and to keep it warm.

Use your whisk to beat the eggs in a two quart bowl. Then add the milk, sugar and vanilla and whisk the mixture until it is well blended.

Pour the mixture into a large flat bowl or baking dish.

Melt three tbsp. butter in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.

Soak three bread slices in the egg mixture, one at a time, turning each slice over twice to make sure that the bread absorbs the liquid on both sides. Put each slice into the skillet.

Cook the slices of bread in the melted butter on both sides on medium heat, turning over a few times until each slice is lightly browned and puffed slightly. Remove the slices to the warmed saucer or plate when done and return the saucer or plate to the oven.

Add three tbsp. butter to the skillet. Do the second batch of three slices like the first. Take the saucer or plate from the oven. Put the second batch on top of the first batch.

Serve the French toast with your favorite syrup or fruit, or dust it with confectioner’s sugar. I like to warm maple syrup in a small dish in the microwave oven before making the French toast. Then I keep it in the 200º F oven to keep it warm. The warm syrup is perfect for the warm French toast.

Serve.

Bananas Foster is often associated with ice cream but here we have an interesting variety of French toast.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

½ cup whipping cream

6 tbsp. butter

8 slices French bread, preferably a few days old

Directions:

Make the batter by first whisking the eggs and the vanilla. Pour in the whipping cream and whisk until well blended.

Dip the bread slices into batter and soak thoroughly.

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium high heat.

Place 2 slices of soaked bread at a time in the melted butter and cook each side until golden brown.

Repeat the process with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter each time.

Serve the French toast slices with warm Bananas Foster syrup. The recipe follows.

Ingredients:

1½ cups good quality maple syrup

2 tbsp. butter

4 bananas, halved and sliced lengthwise

1 tsp. rum flavoring

Directions:

Heat the syrup over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the butter and stir until the butter melts and the syrup is bubbling.

Add the bananas and heat thoroughly for a few minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the rum extract. Stir and return to very low heat to keep the syrup warm.

Serve.

Zowie! Each French toast recipe gets more exciting than the previous one!

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1 loaf of French bread

5 eggs

1½ cups half and half

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. Grand Marnier®

1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

Heat the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan on medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir constantly while heating.

Pour the syrup into a 9 by 13 by 2 inch oven proof glass baking dish.

Cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices and trim the crust from each slice.

Arrange the bread in the prepared baking dish, cutting some of the bread into pieces so the entire bottom surface of the dish is covered. è (Ignore this step).

Beat the eggs, half and half, vanilla, Grand Marnier® and salt in a bowl using your electric mixer on medium speed. Pour the mixture over the bread. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, for 8 to 12 hours è (This step is basically bull. The product is perfectly ready to use as soon as the bread is soaked. Do that by hand using a spatula with each slice, dipping it into the egg mixture until it is thoroughly soaked, then slip each slice off the spatula into the baking dish and finally pour any extra mixture over the bread evenly.).

Bake the French toast at 350ºF on the middle oven rack for 20 minutes, then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve.