When I imagine Christmas morning, I imagine waking up to a dark house with only the lights on the Christmas tree shining, illuminating the gifts underneath. The house smells like the big hot pot of coffee that has already brewed. I'm the first one up, in my pajamas and slippers, and I head straight for my first cup. I quietly sip my coffee, enjoying those few remaining moments of calm. I turn on low instrumental Christmas music. The kids begin to stir one at a time, shuffling out in search of their stockings, pulling out the tiny treasures one by one, strewing them out along the couch and the floor. I always save my stocking until last, not opening it until I've looked on while everyone else has opened theirs. Then, I head to the kitchen to work on breakfast, something substantial enough to tide us over until dinner.
If you have eggnog left over from Christmas Eve festivities, set it aside and save it to make a glorious Christmas morning French toast. Eggnog makes ideal French toast batter because it is by virtue rich and creamy and eggy with a little spice thrown in — everything French toast batter should be. Cut up thick slices of day-old French bread, drench them in this boozy eggnog mixture and try to convince yourself that every bite doesn't taste exactly like Christmas.
If you don't like your eggnog boozy, a little rum extract will work nicely instead to punch up the flavor. Happy holidays from our cozy home to yours.
Eggnog French toast
Serves 4
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups eggnog
1 ounce dark spiced rum (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
8 thick slices of French bread
For serving:
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Pure maple syrup
Butter
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, rum (if using), sugar and nutmeg.
Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan until bubbly. Take a slice of bread, dip it briefly into the eggnog mixture, coating evenly on both sides, and transfer it directly to the hot pan. Cook the French toast until browned on the bottom, then flip and cook again on the other side until browned and cooked through. Repeat with remaining slices of bread, adding the other tablespoon of butter as needed to the pan.
To serve the French toast, dust it with powdered sugar and serve it with pure maple syrup and butter on the side.
Maya Wilson lives in Kenai and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.