Hong Kong Style French Toast

Helloooo Friday! Hope you guys had a good week, and have something awesome planned for the weekend! You know, I miss Hong Kong for many reasons and French toast sure is one of them. It's a typical item on the menu at cha chaan tengs and it is served all day but you'd really only get it for breakfast or afternoon tea which is around 3 to 4 p.m.

French toasts here in America is just not the same thing. The Hong Kong version is a simple tweak to the original that I think (oh I KNOW) most people would love it. I mean, we're talking about stuffing it with something delicious here! The original Hong Kong style French toast isn't something you would/should eat everyday though... butter, deep-fried, and syrup? Oh yea, it's a total guilty pleasure.

Since I can't get the kind of French toast that I love from a regular diner, I make them at home, my way! This is my take on how you'd eat French toast when you come have breakfast at my house. It might not an exact copycat of how a cha chaan teng would serve it but it's about the brilliant idea my friends (and a little healthier since it's not deep-fried)! Let's go over the simple ingredients real quick... sliced bread, butter, eggs, maple syrup, and peanut butter! Yep, PB is the secret ingredient. What's not to love about a PB sandwich dipped in eggs and pan-fried then drizzled with maple syrup?? Now that's what I call breakfast of champions!

I don't usually get sliced bread from Chinese bakeries but I happened to pass by one and since I was making Hong Kong style French toast, it just made sense. Use any kind of bread you'd like but maybe stay away from using the kinds that are too soft or too fresh, otherwise you'll end up having French toast that's a little too mushy. And peanut butter? I like the smooth kind, and Peanut Butter and Co. is a staple in my pantry (still need to make a trip to their sandwich shop at some point!)

Gosh. Is there more? I want another one!

Hong Kong style french toast

Prep time: 5 mins  Cook time: 6 mins  Total time: 11 mins

You'll need:

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• maple syrup

Approach:

1. Make a simple peanut butter sandwich by spreading a thin layer of butter on both slices of bread, then spread about 1 tbsp of peanut butter on each side.
2. Heat a skillet with ½ tbsp of butter.
3. Dip the sandwich in egg. Let it soak for 6 seconds each side and run the edges too.
4. Cook each side for about 3 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Plate and top with a thin slice of butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast Casseroles are great. If you're willing to spend 30 minutes to prep before going to bed, then all you have to do is to pop it in the oven when you wake up. I love that it's so hearty, it cures a rumbling belly right away. I also like to think of it as an omelette cake. So yes, have cake for breakfast!

For this breakfast casserole, I used red and green peppers, mushroom, sausage, on a bed of hash brown. Simple and quick to prep. Before assembling the casserole, I had cooked the sausage fully. And I had sauté the mushroom and peppers half way through with some garlic just to bring out the flavor.

Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.

Put down the cooked sausage.

Then the peppers and mushroom.

Pour in the eggs evenly. (NOW, at this point, you may leave the casserole in the fridge overnight and just pop it in the oven when you wake up in the morning. If not, just continue to the next step!)

Then finally top with some cheddar cheese, and let the oven do the work for 30 minutes.

When it's cooked, sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top, and there you go :)

Breakfast Casserole

You'll need:

• 10oz hash brown
• 2 sausages, casing removed and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup red and green peppers, chopped salt and pepper
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded a pinch of dried thyme

Approach:

1. Remove casing of the sausages, and roughly break the meat apart.
2. Cook sausage all the way through, about 15 minutes. Break up the meat more if needed with a spatula. Let cool and have the cooked sausage sit on a paper towel to drain the excess fat.
3. Chop mushroom, red and green peppers to smaller pieces. Then mince the garlic. (I love my garlic mincer by Joseph Joseph)
4. Heat a saute pan with some olive oil, drop the garlic until it gets fragrant (just a few minutes) then toss in the veggies, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes just to bring out the flavor.
5. Now, you can start assembling the casserole.
6. Coat a baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil, then lay down some hash brown, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.
7. Put down the cooked sausage and the veggies, then pour in the eggs.
8. **At this point, you can choose to refrigerate overnight.
9. Finally top with some shredded cheddar cheese before putting it in the oven.
10. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then let cool for 10 minute before serving, and sprinkle a pinch of dried thyme on top.