Coconut Milk Infused French Toast with Coconut Buttermilk Syrup

 

Friday. Thank heavens. This weekend is jam-packed full of all kinds of busy, but wonderful, things to do... and lots of baking...

I love breakfast-for-dinner. It reminds me of the times when my Dad would be out-of-country for business - my Mom would always always serve pancakes, waffles, or french toast for dinner one or two nights when he was gone. It was such a fun treat when we were little ones, and even continued into our high-school years. Heck, I think my Mom will still make a pancake or two for dinner when my Dad is out of town. 

I'll never forget the very best French Toast I've ever had. Ryan and I were invited to breakfast by one of the other law clerks. We were blown away by Founding Farmers in DC, and whenever I have french toast these days, I can't help but reminisce about the incredible stuffed french toast I ordered. I've never eaten such amazing stuffed french toast in my entire life - it transcended all other french toast. I loved the thick slices of french bread, and what the warm made-from-scratch syrup did for the overall taste. Ryan and I vowed that we visit our beloved Founding Farmers if we ever hit up DC again. 

To my surprise, this french toast recipe was certainly up there with the stars aforementioned. The original recipe called for regular milk.... I kicked up the coconut flavor a few notches by substituting in coconut milk instead. I also used a fresh loaf of french bread for the bread slices (instead of just using a regular loaf of bread) - made all the difference. Also, after making my own buttermilk syrup, it'll be hard to use store-bought value-buy syrup from now on. It's more time-consuming (still easy), but would always be worth it. This syrup has changed my world, man.

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Coconut Milk Infused French Toast

French Toast:

4 eggs

1 C coconut milk

1/4 t salt

2 t vanilla

1/4 C + 2 T flour

1 loaf fresh french bread, sliced thick

To prepare the french toast, turn on your griddle to about 325 degrees. Blend together all ingredients (except bread, of course) until mixture is lump-free. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Quickly dip both sides of bread in mixture and place on greased, hot skillet. Flip over when browned. Serve with hot Coconut Syrup. 

Coconut Buttermilk Syrup

Coconut Syrup

1/2 C butter

3/4 C buttermilk  

1 C sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1 t coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves into the melted butter. Bring to a boil for about a minute, and remove from heat. Add baking soda and coconut extract, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble up a bunch, so hold over the sink in case it spills over. Let rest a few minutes before serving. 

 *recipes adapted from Cooking A La Mode, Alyssa Griffeth

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