Weekend Blog Showcase: Orange French Toast

Welcome to this week's edition of Weekend Blog Showcase.  Visit Ann (Thibeault's Table) to see what she has made and to visit the other participant's entries.

This week, after a long work week, I needed a treat for breakfast.  Something satisfying and delicious.  I stumbled upon this Orange French Toast recipe, a la Nigella Lawson, at Paris Pastry.  I've been in an orange-y frame of mind lately (remember the Creamsicle Cookie debacle), and THIS time, I actually DID have oranges on hand!  And, coincidentally, a loaf of challah bread.

(By the way, if you've never made French toast with challah, you don't know what you're missing!  This bread wants to be French toast.  It just does.  It's the best.)

Okay.  So back to Orange French Toast.  I have to admit that I took some creative license with the recipe.  I added a little fresh orange juice to the egg mixture along with some vanilla extract (which I always add to the French toast egg mixture).  The other thing I didn't do, (okay - I really did get inspired by this recipe), was make the orange syrup.  I like my French toast with a little butter, and that's it.  So, I decided to forgo the orange syrup.  That said, I don't mind a little syrup on my pancakes, and I think this sauce would make a wonderful addition to a stack of hotcakes!  (Go with my stream of consciousness now:  a little orange zest in your next stack of pancakes, drizzled with Paris Pastry's orange syrup.  Sounds good, right?!  Note to self:  buy more oranges...)

I really did love the orange addition to the French toast.  It was so good.  My thanks to Paris Pastry for the inspiration.  Don't forget to give this gem of a blog a look-see.  She has many wonderful recipes and photos to inspire you, too!

Orange French Toast

2 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 large thick slices, or 4 thin slices of white bread
Juice of one orange
1/4 cup good-quality orange marmalade(Paris Pastry noted she used apricot jam - genius!)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and orange zest in a wide shallow dish. Soak the bread slices in this mixture for 2 minutes a side.

While the eggy bread is soaking, bring the orange juice, marmalade, and sugar to a boil, then turn down to a fast simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. If you need to, let this syrup stand while you cook the bread.

Heat the tablespoon of butter in a skillet and cook the eggy bread for about 2 minutes a side over medium heat until golden.

Serve the French toast with some of the amber syrup poured over each slice, and a pitcher of extra syrup on the side.

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Join in on the fun with Ann and me.  Ann is hosting this week (thank you, Ann!).  To participate, find a recipe that appeals to you from another blog (Tastespotting and Foodgawker are great places to peruse to find ideas), make the recipe and post about it on your blog, referencing the blog you borrowed the recipe from.  Place the Weekend Blog Showcase logo on your post and sign into Mr. Linky.  That's all there is to it!  See you at Ann's!