Hot Dog Bun French Toast
On a drowsy Saturday morning, you stumble out of bed and look at what you have in the kitchen. You don't have much. There are hot dog buns, there's cream, there are eggs (hopefully untainted by salmonella) and slivered almonds. You scratch your chin, you lift your eyebrow, you hold your monocle closer to your eye. Might you? Might it be possible? Why perhaps it might!
A dish is born: Hot Dog Bun French Toast.
Think about it: hot dog buns have something in common with brioche. They're eggy, they have character. If you tear them in two, you can take the thicker half, dunk it in French Toast batter and fry it in butter. And, if you want to mask it even more, you can coat the whole thing in slivered almonds first.
Which is precisely what I did. And the resulting French Toast was notably good. It elicited raves. And it was based on laziness and cheapness too.
So the next time you serve a dinner that involves hot dog buns (in this case, lobster rolls) save them for the next morning. And make sure to have slivered almonds handy, they really make the dish. Here's the recipe.
Hot Dog Bun French Toast
Serves 2 very hungry people
6 hot dog buns
1 cup milk or, if you're extra indulgent, cream or half-and-half
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon sugar
A pinch of salt
1 cup slivered almonds
Butter, as needed
Maple syrup (warmed)
1. Separate your hot dog buns. I recommend using the larger halves first (they look prettier) and if you're still hungry at the end, use the smaller halves to make more.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, the eggs, the vanilla, the sugar, and the salt. Make sure to really break up the eggs so you don't get a snotty piece when you dunk the hot dog bun. Transfer to a pie dish or other shallow pan.
3. In another shallow pan or pie dish, place the slivered almonds.
4. Melt 1 Tbs butter in a non-stick skillet or a cast iron skillet on medium heat. As it's melting and beginning to foam, dunk your first few pieces of hot dog bun first in the egg batter and then coat it in the almonds. You can do three at a time if you have a skillet as large as mine.
5. Fry on the white side first (the inside of the hot dog bun), pushing down slightly with your spatula so it browns. You should hear a sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. Cook on that side a minute or so, checking to see how it's browning every so often.
6. Flip over, finish on the other side, pressing down to even the shape.
When brown on both sides, transfer to a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
7. Repeat with the remaining hot dog bun halves and serve immediately with the warmed maple syrup.
