Seasonal Ontario Food

Essentially, this is a fancier French toast - Spanish toast, if you like - or a kind of pancake, more than an omelette, which is what Spanish tortillas usually are. Just to get distracted for a moment, I've come to realize by going through old cook books that what we now call French toast used to be referred to as German toast at least as often, but two world wars brought that to a definite end. Really, the first one was enough to do it. 

 

This will taste mostly quite familiar, although the touch of lemon zest along with the cinnamon is distinctive. I think it is best with fruit preserves, but have it with whatever you would normally serve with French toast or pancakes. Maybe some cream cheese and a drizzle of honey. Like the traditional Spanish tortilla of eggs and potatoes, it is customarily served at room temperature, which would make it a good choice for a breakfast or brunch buffet. If you prefer it warm, though, it will certainly be just fine that way.

 

6 servings

40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

 

150 grams (5 ounces) stale bread

6 tablespoons milk or light cream

1 to 3 tablespoons sugar

the zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil to cook

 

Grate or crumble the bread very finely into a mixing bowl. Drizzle the milk over the bread, and mix it in well. Let it sit for a few minutes to soak thoroughly. The bread should be moist, but not soggy - no puddles. 

In another bowl. mix the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt. Break in one egg and whisk it in thoroughly. Whisk in the remaining eggs. 

Fold the egg mixture into the soaked bread. Let it sit again, for a few minutes. Whisk it if the bread does not seem well broken up. 

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Scrape in the mixture and spread it out evenly. Cook it slowly until set and slightly browned on the bottom. Slide the tortilla out onto a plate, flip the pan over it, the flip it back to right side up with the tortilla in it. Cook the second side until set and slightly browned. All of this will require a fairly low temperature; adjust it early in the process if the tortilla seems to be browning faster than it is setting. 

Serve warm, or allow the tortilla to cool to room temperature before serving.