Monday, November 11, 2013

Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast

French toast made with roasted pumpkin and eggnog batter for a seasonal brunch

Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast



My kids are very fortunate French toast eaters.  They are blessed with not one but two grandmothers who rock at making French toast.
Can a grandmother rock at something?  Well, these women sure do.  My kids love Grandma's French Toast--regardless of which grandma they are visiting.
When I first met my mother-in-law, she told me she was a "plain Jane cook".  She sure makes something 'plain' like French toast taste super when we visit!  She has her recipe memorized (and now I do, too):  for every 4 pieces of bread you need 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  It's a no-fail recipe that we love to eat while gathered around the large table, watching the woods outside.

My mom's contribution to my kids' Grandma French Toast Experience is her choice of bread.  Mom buys day-old bread (hmm, I wonder where I get my love of marked down food from?), usually hoagie rolls, and slices it into thick rounds.  She serves the kids breakfast on the bar while they sit on stools overlooking her kitchen.

Combining mom's bread with my mother-in-law's batter results in a delicious breakfast treat when it's just mom making the French toast.  For this post, though, I decided to kick it up a notch.  I thawed some packages of pumpkin (that I'd roasted and put up for muffins) and added it to the batter.  I had eggnog, and decided to use that in place of milk.  Because the pumpkin was pretty thick, I opted to toss the whole thing in the blender to mix it up.  This creamy concoction was so delicious I had to share.

Try this for a special brunch or just for an everyday weekend breakfast.  My kids tell me that the leftovers made a tasty school-day breakfast treat.  Even if it's not as good as when Grandma makes it!

Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast
Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French ToastRoasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast

Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast

4 day old whole wheat hoagie rolls (or the bread of your choice)
butter to grease your griddle, if desired
2 cups roasted pumpkin (use a can of plain pumpkin if you don't have any put by)
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) eggnog
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Slice rolls into 1 1/2 inch thick rounds and set aside.  Preheat a griddle to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and the oven to 250 degrees.  Add butter if your griddle desires it.  Combine rest of ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a shallow container.  Press bread slices into batter to coat one side, flip over, press again, and transfer to hot griddle.  Cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 4-6 minutes, and flip over to brown the other side, another 3-5 minutes.  Transfer to a serving platter, cover with foil, and place in warm oven until all bread has been dipped and browned.  Then everyone can sit down and eat together!

This breakfast is shared with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, the 60 week old Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, the 44 week old What's Cookin' WednesdayFrom The Farm Blog Hop
Roasted Pumpkin and Eggnog French Toast | Farm Fresh Feasts

14 comments:

  1. This looks and sounds incredible! Matt all but demands that I make pumpkin French toast once every autumn. I've been using this Bobby Flay recipe for years (http://www.texannewyorker.com/2012/12/20/pumpkin-french-toast/) but this year I think we may need to change it up and try your eggnog version. Thanks!!

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    1. Julie,
      I dunno, you can't go wrong with Bobby Flay. Thanks for the link, we'll try it!

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  2. That sounds heavenly! Pumpkin, eggnog to give it richness and a little spice... Perfection! Thanks for the recipe! Methinks Saturday breakfast will be a little French toast...
    Sarah

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    1. Sarah,
      It just goes to show you that I want your cranberry orange goodies for breakfast--I'd say it's an even trade! I can't wait for the band fruit fundraiser citrus to arrive.
      Thanks!

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  3. And again you make the pumpkin hater want pumpkin. You are a miracle worker or at least know the way to my stomach. I pinned this and now I'm actually hoping to get another pumpkin in the share. Granted I haven't used my first pumpkin yet but you keep making all these crazy and delicious looking pumpkin things so I know one is not going to be enough. Thank to you and the moms for this one.

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    1. Meghan,
      I'd say we're even. I was one of those granola-scoffers, and you've made me a believer in granola and someone who has a 2 qt Ball jar on the counter in various stages of 'filledness' with your granola.
      So there.
      Thanks!

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  4. Visiting from Tasty Tuesday's - this looks so good. I LOVE all things pumpkin. Can't wait to try it.

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    1. Alecia,
      I love pumpkin too! It works so well in sweet and savory applications--a very versatile veggie! (Uh oh, blog fodder percolating in my brain).

      Thanks!

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  5. This looks amazing, Kirsten! I will try this one with some of my pumpkin supply. My children are strangely picky when it comes to French toast, but I think they'd go for this.

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    1. Annemarie,
      Because you make such delicious-looking stuff, your kids have such a wonderful variety of tasty foods on the table, and I'll cut them slack for strange French Toast pickiness.
      Thanks!

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  6. I love that your kids have that special food bond with their grandmothers! And French toast to boot, that's the no-fail in my mind!

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    1. Dani,
      I think it's pretty special, to have these memories, as well. My grandmas were both good cooks, and I have happy memories of foods with them.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Replies
    1. That's a great question--in the US you can buy bottles of eggnog like the one shown in the photo. They are in the dairy case from October to December. To make your own eggnog is simple--milk, eggs, sugar and spices--and some alcohol if you're drinking it. Here's a recipe that would be fine for this French toast: http://homecooking.about.com/od/beveragerecipes/r/blbev17.htm
      If you're making a batch to drink and would like to add alcohol--here's another recipe to try: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggnog-recipe2.html

      Thanks for stopping by!

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