This recipe is derived from a recipe I learned from my mom; ultimately, this French toast recipe is Cajun in origin, so I am told. Certainly it’s rich enough to be. The secret to getting this recipe right is to let the bread soak for long enough, but more importantly, to use bread that is stale to the proper degree. More stale is not necessarily better: if the bread is completely dry, it will stay dry in its core, which is very unpleasant. Bread which was fresh the day before is best, particularly baguettes, which are never good for more than the day they’re baked. And that is where the recipe gets its name, which translates literally to “lost bread.”

The elements are simple: a custard base is made from milk and eggs, seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and some sugar and salt, and then the 1 1⁄2” thick slices of baguette are allowed to soak for a good 15-20 minutes, until they are soaked through. These are fried slowly in oil, so that the custard mixture inside the slices has a chance to set. Proper pieces of pain perdu should be a little bit like having crême bruleé trapped inside the fried bread exterior.

For that reason, the ultimate batch of pain perdue may be a rare occurrence, but even when the bread doesn’t soak the mixture up perfectly, it still makes a delicious French toast, and if your guests aren’t Cajun, they may not be able to tell the difference.

Makes enough for 4-6 people, depending on how hungry they are, ~16 slices.

Equipment:
• bread knife
• casserole dish or similar (large, shallow tupperware works well)
• medium-to-large skillet
• tongs compatible with your skillet

Ingredients:
~1 ea baguette stale
1 1⁄2 cup milk
3 ea eggs
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp nutmeg
a pinch salt
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

For frying:
2-4 Tbsp butter
2-4 Tbsp oil coconut, corn, canola, peanut, or bacon grease all work

Procedure:
1. Place the sugar, salt, spices and eggs into the shallow dish.
2. Blend the eggs together with all the dry ingredients very thoroughly.
3. Add the milk and the vanilla, and mix again until the mixture is homogeneous.
4. Slice the stale baguette into 1 1⁄2” thick slices, and arrange them in a single layer in the custard mixture.
5. Immediately turn all the slices, so that both faces are wet.
6. Allow the slices to stand in the mixture for 15-20 minutes, optionally turning them over once.
7. When the bread seems to be nicely moist and soaked through, get the butter and oil hot in the skillet.
8. Just as the butter starts to bubble, add the bread slices carefully as they may want to disintegrate, and to avoid splattering the oil.
9. Keep the heat around medium; resist the temptation to cook these too fast. They need to cook through to the core, so let them fry slowly, turning after about 6 minutes or so.
10. As the pieces become golden brown and a little crispy on the outside, remove them to some paper towel, so that the grease won’t all soak in to the bread.
11. Garnish and serve them warm; they should have a short chance to rest, so that the custardy interior has a chance to set.

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