Wentelteefjes (French toast)
I don't know what to do! I have whole lists of recipes I'd love to share, but just yesterday I realized there's seven weeks left till Christmas. SEVEN?! Which means I can only share seven recipes and there is no way that I can travel the whole world full of traditional Christmas recipes in just a few weeks. My big plan suddenly seems doomed to fail.. But most importantly, I don't feel Christmas yet. I'm caught up in my research, school projects and classes. We still need to celebrate Saint Nicolas (5 December) first before we can start thinking about Christmas!
So while I'm debating and stressing and wondering what to do with this horrible life-threatening problem, I still figured a recipe to share. In Holland it's a traditional way to use up old bread. But many more countries have their (also traditional) own version of this way too easy recipe!
When I think of recipes as traditional, I always have to do a bit of background on how traditional exactly the recipe is. And how much more traditional I can make it. You won't notice by my post, but sometimes theres hours of working trying to find the right ingredients or the little bit of history I wanted to know. For this recipe the exact history seems to be unknown. The idea was to use up old bread in a creative way and this idea has spread throughout the whole world (at least the parts that eat bread). The interesting part is the names people have thought up for it. The dutch word wentelteefje supposedly translates to 'turning it quickly'. Another few creative names: from Belgium the verloren of gewonnen brood (the lost or found bread) or the French pain perdu (lost bread). Or even more brilliant: the German Arme Ritter (poor knight). Or the less creative ones: the American French toast or the Spanish torrija (toast), the Greek γαλλικό τοστ (French toast). And then theres a whole lot of funny pronounciations for the same 'french toast'.
Because it's so simple to make, this recipe just begs for creativity. Think of adding fruits, a bit of cream and cutting them into triangles for a fancy brunch. Or how about turning them savory with a bit of cheese on top and bit of pepper and leek through the egg? Or think of a Christmas dessert: serve with whipped cream and warm cherries. How about a simple breakfast: adding some nutella/chocolate chips and banana? Really the possibilities for varying shapes, taste and accompaniments is endless!
Lastly, I'm really curious about what you think: should I start posting Christmas recipes? Or stick to other things until December? And more importantly: what Christmas traditions do you want to see? Any countries that spring to mind?
So while I'm debating and stressing and wondering what to do with this horrible life-threatening problem, I still figured a recipe to share. In Holland it's a traditional way to use up old bread. But many more countries have their (also traditional) own version of this way too easy recipe!
When I think of recipes as traditional, I always have to do a bit of background on how traditional exactly the recipe is. And how much more traditional I can make it. You won't notice by my post, but sometimes theres hours of working trying to find the right ingredients or the little bit of history I wanted to know. For this recipe the exact history seems to be unknown. The idea was to use up old bread in a creative way and this idea has spread throughout the whole world (at least the parts that eat bread). The interesting part is the names people have thought up for it. The dutch word wentelteefje supposedly translates to 'turning it quickly'. Another few creative names: from Belgium the verloren of gewonnen brood (the lost or found bread) or the French pain perdu (lost bread). Or even more brilliant: the German Arme Ritter (poor knight). Or the less creative ones: the American French toast or the Spanish torrija (toast), the Greek γαλλικό τοστ (French toast). And then theres a whole lot of funny pronounciations for the same 'french toast'.
French toast (Wentelteefjes)
makes 10-20 slices- inspired by Grootmoeders Grote Keukenboek
3 eggs
30 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
100 ml milk
Butter
10 slices of (old) bread
1. Lightly whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the cinnamon and the milk and whisk until you have an even mixture.
2. Melt a bit of butter in a pan. Dip one of the slices of bread into the egg-mixture and into the pan. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown (or starting to burn) on both sides. Serve immediately!
makes 10-20 slices- inspired by Grootmoeders Grote Keukenboek
3 eggs
30 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
100 ml milk
Butter
10 slices of (old) bread
1. Lightly whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the cinnamon and the milk and whisk until you have an even mixture.
2. Melt a bit of butter in a pan. Dip one of the slices of bread into the egg-mixture and into the pan. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown (or starting to burn) on both sides. Serve immediately!
Because it's so simple to make, this recipe just begs for creativity. Think of adding fruits, a bit of cream and cutting them into triangles for a fancy brunch. Or how about turning them savory with a bit of cheese on top and bit of pepper and leek through the egg? Or think of a Christmas dessert: serve with whipped cream and warm cherries. How about a simple breakfast: adding some nutella/chocolate chips and banana? Really the possibilities for varying shapes, taste and accompaniments is endless!
Lastly, I'm really curious about what you think: should I start posting Christmas recipes? Or stick to other things until December? And more importantly: what Christmas traditions do you want to see? Any countries that spring to mind?