Sweet and Low: Caramelized Banana French Toast
Jan 6th, 2009 by Marilyn
Here’s the thing: I don’t love Jell-O, and most of America does. I’d bet that even foodie elite, people who’d never be caught with a two-tone wiggler, dig strawberry banana when no one’s looking – I believe it. There are distinct groups of Jell-O lovers – 50′s kids who grew up with it, like my parents; crafty cooks who make projects of rainbow parfaits; and the rest, like my daughter, who just plain love its slippery cool. And in there, there we have it: the only time I like Jell-O is when I’m sick – when I’m good and sick and low, those unnatural tones look like comfort, and taste easy. A delightful slide down, and too smooth to refuse.
Josie had some oral surgery done last weekend, the poor thing. Whenever she’s legitimately sick or injured – antibiotics or 100 degrees, whichever comes first – she will get tucked into our bed with quilts, movies and the dog, and luxuriate in being The Poor Thing. A diminished state will also make her The Nice Thing – a fever or post-anesthetic haze will do that to a kid, I guess. She lays positively docile, sipping Gatorade and following orders, her parents stroking hair or bringing treats. A trouper we say, what a trouper.
Can we get you something, something soft? Jell-O? Okay. The lime kind, and Donald? Sure. You just wait right there.
That’s right. When in need of true comfort, dental or otherwise, we call on The Donald. Promise not to tell her friends; she’d kill me. With the spoon.
Anyway, as soon as you could say Tylenol 3, the two full days of Jell-O, soup and yogurt made her bored with movies, sick of codeine, restless and newly charged as The Crabby, Hungry Thing. She was starving, she said, we were starving her. I believe that’s called taking care of you, I said. You wanted Jell-O. Well yeah, but now – now she was just mad to have missed the whole weekend, sure that she was wasting away, and maybe she would like a large steak. Or a dozen buffalo hot wings. And celery. The dog leaped off the bed, and the spell was broken. She was feeling better.
Not wishing to undo the surgeon’s work, I nixed the chewing, but offered real food. How about…French toast?
Eh.
I looked around the kitchen. A banana in the fruit bowl straightened, hopeful.
Okay. How about French toast…with caramelized bananas?
Ooh.
Aha! Soft for the mouth and sweet on the tongue. Now we were talking, and even better, healing. There’s still Jell-O in the fridge, and sore mouth or not, she’ll eat it. Me, I’ll wait for the fever.
Caramelized Banana French Toast
This method lets you use one pan for both the French toast and the bananas; just make sure it’s good and non-stick.
8 slices bread (I like to use stale baguette bread, cut on a thick angle)
4-5 eggs *
1/4 cup milk or cream
splash orange juice (optional)
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 tablespoon canola oil, or butter, for frying
1-2 bananas, in thick slices
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
splash orange juice
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk or cream, orange juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Add bread slices to bowl, turning pieces to coat with egg mixture. Leave slices in the egg mixture 5-15 minutes (thick, dry bread can take longer) or until bread is soaked through, but not falling apart.
Using a large, non-stick frying pan, melt oil or butter over medium-high heat. Add soaked bread slices and cook 1-2 minutes per side, turning, until evenly browned. Remove French toast from pan and set on a paper-towel lined plate.
Leaving heat at medium-high, immediately add sliced bananas and tablespoon of butter to the same non-stick pan, shaking pan as you add to keep bananas moving. Sprinkle sugar over bananas, then the splash of orange juice. Keep the pan moving as they cook, using a heatproof spatula to help turn bananas fast. Both sides of bananas should brown quickly, melting the sugar and juice together, about one minute total cooking time.
Set French toast on plates, spoon warm bananas over the top, and serve.
* so, what’s with “4-5 eggs?” Well, eggs will vary in size, volume, and how long they’ve been in your fridge. Start by whisking up four – if there’s enough liquid to generously cover the bread, stop there, and if not, add another.
serves 3-4, depending on your own Hungry Things
Just the thing for the aches and pains
Sorry to hear Josie had a tough weekend, but glad to hear that she’s mending well and has returned to a Hungry State!
Torture. And drool. Cruelty. And growling stomach. I’m reading this 11 hours into a shift in which supper is a long-distant memory and I had nothing but cinnamon applesauce for a snack. Four hours ago. There are no bananas in the firehouse kitchen, no bread but Wonder, and something watery and slighty bluish in the fridge called “ultra-skim milk”. This will not do. Like Josie, I’m starving. Speaking of Josie, I’m glad she’s feeling better. My niece of the same age had oral surgery last week. Ouch.
Yummm… this recipe is a perfect weekend breakfast. I can’t wait to try it this weekend. Thanks!
::::raises hand:::::
I’m a Hungry Thing!
If I show The Donald spoon the Fiance, he will be tres jealous…
My mother used to have us kids drink warm Jello when we were sick, just at the point when the powder dissolved into the warm water and just before the directions called for you to put it in the fridge to set. Now, every few years, when I wake up that first morning and know, just KNOW, that I have strep throat, it’s all I can think about until I’ve downed that sickeningly sweet, scarily red, artificially cherry flavored, comfort in a glass.
Looks beautiful. I especially like the addition of OJ — very creative! We typically do a stuffed French toast where we cut pockets into the sourdough bagette slices and fill them with cooked breakfast sausage and grated swiss cheese. Then we soak them and pan fry them. It’s an incredible blend of sweet and savory. Hmmm…. I should make those soon!
Looks delicious. Poor Josie! Glad she’s improving.
This is a great site, Marilyn, and I love this recipe! I’ll try it soon. I also really like the design of the whole site, and especially your strong and moving writing (not to mention mightily witty).
Caryn
this is one of the few breakfast treats that might possibly be consumable without any maple syrup. i doubt it though…i really love my maple syrup.
great creation, marilyn!
Ooh…this looks so yummy! This reminds me of a dish I get a local restaurant’s brunch – Bananas Foster French Toast…mmm…
I had two wisdom teeth out mid-last year, so I know exactly what you mean w/ the not being able to eat much. Good luck!
Man that looks good – the french toast, not the jello. Never touch the stuff.
Love “The Donald” – the spoon, not the man with the bad hair.
We all have those comfort foods we crave when we are sick. For me it’s a grilled cheese sandwich.
….so you probably don’t want to borrow my jello cookbook , huh?
Glad Josie is feeling better!
when i’m sick i like the cherry ‘juicy gels’…you know the already made jell-o that isn’t even refrigerated? oh yes, yum! i already bought some for next week when i’m “recovering”.
josie is not alone in her disney silverware!
and until i went to college i had a silver mickey mouse spoon (…and i minnie mouse fork) that i would always eat my dinner with. but, shoooo, don’t tell anyone.
Oh….yum. Would it be wrong to start making french toast at 2:00 a.m.? I think there’s a banana here somewhere…
And I’m glad The Donald made Josie feel better!
The only time in recent memory that Jell-O tasted good to me was when it was the most edible thing on a plate of hospital food. Seriously. Your French toast, on the other hand, could revive even the most flagging palate. Glad Josie is on the mend.
Oh, Marilyn, the French toast looks scrumptious! Your photography is wonderful…gosh, you even make the Jell-o look appetizing!
I would eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. When I was pregnant and not feeling well, I’d make French toast with caramelized apples. The bananas are a great idea! Lucky Josie to have such a good mom.
The green jello goes down much better laced with gin. Ah, the comfort food of college. In sickness and in health.
Lovely blog by the way. Ken
Shredded carrots encased in orange Jello. For some reason, this dish was always present at dinners on my dad’s side of the family. Has anyone else “experienced” this?
I hate how an illness can numb the tastebuds. After I get well, it always takes a few days for me to recaliberate my sense of taste.
I’m glad Josie is feeling better.
Keep you skillet good and greasy,
mike
Wow, this looks so good!
oh! I’m making this RIGHT NOW! I can’t wait. There is an expired egg in the fridge, but I’ll risk death if it brings me the chance for a delicious breakfast!!!!
Wow, that looks absolutely delicious! Great post, you did such a nice job presenting the pictures too…I am definitely going to have to try that recipe this weekend! Thanks
Mmmmm, this was great! I made it for supper tonight as a change of pace on a cold night.
This was good. Made it in a snap; followed your recipe and it was delicious. Will be stored in my memory banks from now on. Thanks xx
These were great!! yummy
Thanks so much! It’s become one of my wife’s and my favorite breakfasts, taking the honored spot of the Christmas morning feast, no less.