Peppermint-Vanilla Eggnog French Toast with Kahlua Syrup

The idea for this recipe hit me almost the second I laid eyes on some Peppermint Vanilla Bean Sugar from Savory Spice Shop in Rice Village (Houston, TX). It’s a Denver based brand that now has 2 locations in Texas and we here in H-Town were blessed to be the recipients to one of these cozy little stores. Infused sugars are nothing new and they’re actually pretty easy to make, check out this link to see how. Despite how easy it is, it takes time that many of us simply do not have so in the words of Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time fa dat!” I’ll save you the trouble of searching for the stuff, you can find it on their site right here.

I wouldn’t personally say peppermint is a holiday thing since the flavor is around all year in one form or another but I’ll agree that it’s certainly emphasized around this time. So in the spirit of the season I decided to invite our old pal eggnog over for this one just to reinforce the theme. The Kahlua…see the thing about that is…sometimes artists create abstract pieces and never really explain them; beholders left to assume what they may and draw up their own conclusions as to how this and that form some type of correlation when in fact there may very well be none at all. In other words, I chose Kahlua for the fuck of it and I’ll have you know it paired together quite nice, thank you. I’m no alcoholic, not by a long shot but the syrup came out so good I could certainly become a diabetic if I don’t watch it with that stuff.

Before anything, let’s go over that, the Kahlua syrup. You’ll need:

10 oz of butter (1.25 sticks)

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of Kahlua

 

Start by heating up a small sauce pan and melting your butter completely.

Once it’s melted, go ahead and throw in the sugar and Kahlua. Stir well, preferably with a whisk.

After a couple minutes of stirring it’s gonna start to bubble a lot, that’s fine. At that point surely you have everything well incorporated so if it’s starting to rise and seems like it may overflow, turn your heat off and set it aside, you’re done. The last thing you want is to have that go all over the top of your stove. If it happens to do that, wipe it up immediately because the shit is super sticky and cleaning it when it dries is a bitch.

Transfer it to a heat proof container to hold and cool while you get the french toast goin’. You should have about 12oz (1.5 cups) of syrup from the measurements I listed above. Feel free to make bigger batches by simply doubling etc.

Now that you have the syrup ready and checked off your list, let’s take a look at the other ingredients –

Half the stuff I have in the picture are garnishes and are optional but what’s french toast without the proper accompaniments? Eggy bread, that’s what. Yea, I said eggy.

You’re gonna need:

Bread – I bought a loaf of French bread so I could cut my own thickness since I like them just a bit thicker than the pre-sliced loafs (Does not have to be French bread)

3 eggs, beat ’em like they owe you money

12 oz (1.5 cups) eggnog

3 tablespoons peppermint vanilla sugar (may be substituted for other infused sugars)

Powdered sugar (optional, but not really)

Berries, your choice (get creative!)

Mint leaves (to reinforce the “mint” taste/theme)

and ofcourse…

the Kahlua syrup you just made

 

(As I’ve mentioned before, when you’re cooking you’re in your own zone. Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t add this or “that’s not right”, find out for yourself. Read, watch, experiment; it’s the only way we will continue to discover new delectable combinations. Open up your mind just a little more than usual, I promise your brain isn’t going to fall out.)

 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs, eggnog and infused sugar until you think the sugar has dissolved pretty well.

If you have a whole loaf, slice it to your desired thickness. Remember, you can pretty much use any type of bread here, pre-sliced or not. Get creative and see what you like best.

Heat up a medium sized pan and throw in a little oil, butter or nonstick spray to keep your toast from sticking too much. Have your egg mixture nearby so you can soak your bread then go straight to the pan with minimal chance of dripping all over the place.

I used tongs since I had to go back and forth taking pictures and whatnot but don’t be afraid to get a little dirty by just grabbing the bread with your hands. Let them drain excess liquid for just a few seconds before you go to the pan.

On medium-high heat, cook them a couple minutes per side but keep in mind there are lots of variable with this type of thing so your best indicator is your own set of eyes. You’re looking for a nice golden brown color. Be gentle when handling them because they’ll break easily.

Once you’ve done as many you’re craving, arrange them on a plate the way you like and get to topping. Sift some powdered sugar over them, throw some berries around them, chop up some mint and sprinkle it all around or just use some leaves for garnish. Even sprinkle some more infused sugar over the entire plate, why not? Whatever you do, DO NOT forget to drizzle that succulent sweet syrup all over them. I shouldn’t have to tell you it’s probably not something you should be giving kids but if you’re anything like Regina George’s mom, feel free.

That wasn’t too hard, was it? Hope you were able to follow along and enjoyed the outcome of your creation. As always, switch things around and let me know what you came up with. Comment below or find me on Instagram @HTXJD . If you’re in Houston be sure to check out Savory Spice Shop in Rice Village, you won’t be disappointed. Tell them that one guy who spent more than he intended during their open-house sent you, lol.

Catch y’all later, H-town!

 

J.D. Valdez