Breads,  Breakfast / Brunch

Grand Marnier French Toast with Honey Orange Syrup

Weekends are  my luxury time.  Waking up without an alarm and having coffee in bed totally pleases me.  Being able to join me in bed is pure bliss for my chihauhaus as they sleep in a cage and only allowed in to cuddle with me on these lazy weekend mornings.  They have quite different personalities and both try to compete for my attention.  Bella is sweet but stands her ground firmly when Biagio trys to steal her bone or invade her space.  Biagio is my protector, listens for every sound and growls at strangers as if he is triple his size. 

While I sip on my coffee watching and laughing at my pups, I’m dreaming up my breakfast.  Not the normal week day quick breakfast but something special and more indulgent.  I’ve earned these quiet weekend mornings after years of having woken to the high pitched voices of little ones, full of energy and breakfast demands. ( Actually, I find myself smiling fondly as I write this and remember those precious years that really do go by so quickly!) 

Keeping with the citrus theme of the month and having my last Pannetone to use up, I decided on making french toast.  Any good quality bread will do but Pannetone is my favorite through the holidays.   With its fruit and light sweet taste I thought it was fitting to pare with citrus flavors.  For a simply syrup, orange blossom honey, oranges and their juice thickened up beautifully to top the french toast.

Thanks to Aimee at Clever Muffin for letting me know about this contest, I have entered my recipe into The Breakfast of the World Challenge at VeryGoodRecipes and Drina from EaternalZest!

Grand Marnier French Toast with Honey Orange Syrup

For two servings:

4 slices thick day old bread (Pannetone if you have it)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Grated zest from one organic orange

Juice from that same orange

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liquor

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

In a medium size baking dish, beat the eggs, cream, zest, juice, liquor and nutmeg until combined well.  Soak the bread slices at least 5 minutes, turning once.  Melt butter on a large skillet or griddle.  Saute the bread on both sides until golden brown.  Serve with maple syrup or honey orange syrup.

Honey Orange Syrup

1/2 cup orange juice

1 – 2 teaspoons orange blossom honey

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Orange segments – I used one clementine orange

Heat orange juice, honey and cornstarch over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened.  Add orange segments and simmer for a few minutes or until heated through and ready to serve. 

January is #citruslove month!
Please join in on the #citruslove by linking up any citrus recipe from the month of January 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #citruslove event! The twitter hastag is #citruslove :).
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I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.

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