Pan Dulce
Katsuya Fukushima, chef of Minibar and Café Atlántico, takes classic French toast and by changing the bread to brioche, putting Chihuahua cheese from Latino markets between the slices and adding cinnamon to the egg custard, gives it a Latin American twist.
Serves six.
1 quart milk
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs, whisked
Brioche, cut in 3/4-inch slices
Chihuahua cheese, cut in 1/8-inch slices
Clarified butter
Put milk, cinnamon and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar melts completely. Strain and cool. When the mixture is cool, combine with the eggs until smooth.
Make a sandwich out of the bread and cheese. Dunk the bread and cheese into the milk mixture until just wet throughout. Do not allow the bread to sit in the milk mixture.
Heat up a nonstick pan and coat with clarified butter (see instructions for making below). Place the drained bread with cheese in the pan and flip once nicely browned. Repeat with the other side and serve. If the cheese is not yet melted, place in a 350-degree oven until completely hot throughout.
Cinnamon syrup
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 cinnamon sticks
Combine the sugar, water and sticks in a pot and bring to a boil. Then turn down heat to low and cook gently until thick.
Assembly:
Place the nicely browned Pan Dulce onto a plate. Drizzle the cinnamon syrup on top. If desired, add ice cream.
To make clarified butter, slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan until it begins to froth. With a large spoon, scoop up and discard this froth. Continue to cook until the butter begins to bubble (this is the water cooking out of it). Once the bubbling has subsided, remove the butter from the flame. You will notice some residue on the bottom of the pot. This is the milk protein that has collected. Pour it through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. Note: the reason to clarify the butter is to prevent burning. Clarified butter, which has the proteins, solids and water cooked out, has a higher smoking point than regular butter, which will burn rather quickly.
This recipe first appeared in the NorthWest Current. Photo Bill Petros/The Current.