Breakfast Isn't Lost on Me

Yall already know we have our own language quirks down here. 
Everybody's "yall," or "baby," or "boo," or "cher."
How's ya mama 'n 'em, boo?
Pass da mop tru da house.
Save da groceries.
I got me an envie for some boudin.
Suck the heads and pinch the tails.  (Calm down.  It's about crawfish.)

I never noticed until I moved away...but we say weird things.  It used to embarrass me when I lived in the Midwest and someone would catch me slipping into Louisiana speak.  Now I try to accept and embrace it.  Much easier to do now that I'm back home and no one notices.

We have weird names for our food too.  Jambalaya.  Couche-couche.  Grillades.  Dirty Rice.  Mirliton.

We can't even call French toast "French toast" for Pete's sake. 
It's Pain Perdu--French for "lost bread" since this is made with bread that's been lost.  Bread that's good for nothin' else.

So I thought this would be great to feature for Mother's Day breakfast or brunch.

Here, Ma!  Have some stale bread.  Love ya!


Nah.  Nothing like that.  What I mean is that the moms, mothers-in-law, and grandmas I know have a knack for turning scraps into scrumptious.


Here's to all the moms, mothers-in-law, grandmas, Godmothers, aunts, and sisters who turn lost into found.

Some things I've learned for making great pain perdu:
* Use French bread.  I used to make this with plain ole sliced white bread.  Fail.  Ridiculously big fail.

* Use stale French bread.  That's the whole point of "lost" bread.  It won't get soggy and mushy if it starts out stale.  I'll admit that we hardly ever have stale French bread at my house.  We're French bread eatin' fools.  So the night before I make this, I put some slices out on a cookie rack.  Covered with a paper towel to keep the ta-ties away.

* Quick dip in the egg wash, not a long luxurious bath.  This was another one of my major mistakes.  I thought the more liquid, the tastier.  Not so.

The recipe I use comes from Marcelle Bienvenu's Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?


The Husband says it's the best pain perdu he's ever had.

Linked with Memories by the Mile

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Pain Perdu
adapted from Who's Your Mama, Are you Catholic, and Can you Make a Roux?


2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6-8 slices stale French bread
1/2 tbsp butter for each batch of bread


Whisk all ingredients together except for the bread and butter.


Over medium heat, melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a skillet.


When the butter is foamy, dip as many slices of bread as you can fit in your skillet (but don't crowd) in the egg mixture. Pass the bread in the mixture for only a couple of seconds. Place in skillet and cook, turning once, until golden.


If you have to do this in batches, repeat by melting more butter.


Serve topped with 1 or more:
powdered sugar
cinnamon
cane or maple syrup
homemade preserves




Some lagniappe.  Because moms deserve a little extra.

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Spiced Tea
from Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can you Make a Roux?
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 2 oranges
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups boiling water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 whole cloves
5 teabags


Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup boiling water.  Add the juice of the lemons and oranges, cinnamon, and cloves.  Pour the remaining 3 1/2 cups of boiling water over the teabags; allow to steep 5 minutes.  Remove the teabags and add the tea to the lemon and orange flavored syrup.  Serve immediately.


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Linking up with:


Food on Friday: French Food @ Carole's Chatter

Food on Friday: Breakfast Dishes @ Carole's Chatter

Cookbook Sundays @ Mom's Sunday Cafe
Make a Food-"e"-Friend Monday #11 @ The Saturday Evening Pot
Made it on Monday #8 @ Lark's Country Heart
Tuesdays at the Table @ All The Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul vol 46
Delectable Tuesday @ Home Sweet Farm
Tip Day Thursday @ Around My Family Table
What's Cooking Thursday @ Feeding Four
Potluck Friday @ EKat's Kitchen
Foodie Friday #7 @ Little Brick Ranch
Seasonal Saturday @ la bella vita
Let's Do Brunch #25 @ My Sweet and Savory