Quick! Before the government takes it away!

Marge: Homer, didn't you get any milk? All I see is egg nog.
Homer: 'Tis the season, Marge! We only get thirty sweet noggy days. Then the government takes it away again.

Christmas , Thanksgiving, and New Year's breakfast in my childhood home meant only one thing: Egg Nog French Toast. In general, I hate eggs and won't touch a glass of nog, but once or twice a year, digging in to a plate of this stuff is oh so good.

And, as the thirty sweet noggy days are about to come to a close, and you may be looking to do something with all that left over egg nog, I will share with you this time honored Buffalo family recipe (pictures snapped by moi).

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box Gather your ingredients. You will need

*A loaf of crusty bread- baguette or brioche work best. Sandwich bread tends to get soggy and flaccid

*A carton of nog. If you're in the northeast, there's only one egg nog worth buying, and that's the stuff made by Hood.

*Some eggs and milk (quantity depends on the size of your brood and the preferred consistency of your batter)

*Butter (for topping and frying) and maple syrup (I prefer the real stuff, grade B, which is darker and has a rich caramel taste).

*Nutmeg (optional)

*One or two baker's cooling racks (like you'd use for cooling cookies) and a baking sheet.

Step 2: Cut the bread into pieces at least 1' thick. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the batter. I don't measure ingredients unless I'm baking, so here's how I do it- you may want to adjust your mixture to be eggier or noggier- do what makes you happy. I add about 2 eggs to each cup/ cup and a half of eggnog. You really do need the extra egg to thicken the batter and prevent your bread from becoming nasty milky sponges. If you like nutmeg, add a dash to the batter now or add it to the slices just before frying.

Step 4: Send the bread for a swim in the batter. This is thick stuff so you'll need to let to soak for a bit. Flip it, let the other side soak and then (this part should not be skipped) place the slices on a cooling rack to allow all the drippy stuff to, well, drip. This will prevent you from having soggy French Toast (hat tip: Alton Brown).

Step 5: Set your oven to its lowest temp. In a frying pan or griddle, melt some butter and add the egg noggy bread slices and fry on both sides until lightly golden. Remember, you're working with thick slices of bread that have been pretty well soaked. Try to keep the heat on the low side to allow the egg mixture to cook all the way and avoid burning. Set them in your warm oven until the batch is complete.

Step 6: Top with your favorite ingredients and enjoy the last guilty pleasure of the season.

(note: Every year we make a gingerbread house to use as the backdrop for our nativity scene and place it on the dining room table.)

Comments

[Mrs. Chicky]

I'm salivating. I know what we're having for breakfast on Saturday morning.

[Alex Elliot]

That looks so good!! We also use Grade B syrup.

[Velma]

I don't even dig the 'nog, but that looks amazing. Dr. V., on the other hand, is one of your fellow Hood's Golden junkies!