Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 10 min
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4 maraschino cherries
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1 brown sugar cube or 1 tsp turbinado or light brown sugar
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1 tbsp bourbon whiskey
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2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
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2 eggs
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2 tbsp milk or milk alternative such as soy or almond milk
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Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
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1-2 tbsp butter
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6 slices of Italian bread sliced 1 ½ inches thick
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butter at room temperature and maple syrup
Bourbon Old Fashioned French Toast
Inspired by a stop at one of the many whiskey distilleries that Kentucky is so famous for, this recipe utilizes the same ingredients as the classic cocktail. Concerned about adding booze to your breakfast?? Not to worry, all of the alcohol will burn off in the cooking process leaving behind the essence of the bourbon. If you don’t have a muddler, the back of a spoon or even a fork will do the trick.
In a bowl, muddle the cherries, sugar, and bourbon together until the cherries have broken into little pieces and combined with the whiskey and sugar. Add the orange juice and muddle a bit more. Add eggs and beat all ingredients together with a fork or small whisk. Add milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat into the egg mixture until well combined. There will be pieces of Maraschino cherries floating in the batter.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Dip each slice of bread in the egg batter allowing any extra batter to run back into the bowl. Place each piece in a single layer in the hot pan. If the pan is too small to fit all the bread slices in a single layer, fry the bread in batches adding a tablespoon of butter between each batch.
Fry each side of the bread, flipping it once, until it turns a golden brown color, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and serve immediately with a smear of butter and maple syrup.