In my world, things usually start this way:

someone: What are we making?

me: I don’t know. Start chopping garlic.

Although this WAS a preplanned brunch of pure awesome, it did (of course) start with chopped garlic. Caramelized in butter and mixed into the egg/milk mixture my British friend insists on calling “custard.” A dash of salt, pepper, and oregano, and we’re pretty much set. (Although when I make savory french toast at home, I tend to use za’atar in the mix instead.)

Now this is the cool part: we adapted the Tartine french toast recipe for this. It involves generous slices of bread (multigrain from Thorough Bread) being soaked in the custard for 30-60 minutes.

Then, frying on one side only, until the egg seals the bread underneath.

Lastly, pouring as much extra egg into the bread as it can fit and baking it for 12-15 minutes (until none of the custard is still liquid and the bread appears to have inflated).

While it bakes, make some sort of topping. We caramelized onion slices and oyster mushrooms. Also, some last-minute tomato quarters to brighten the whole thing with some color and acidity.

All in all, I’d say Ben Ward and I make an excellent team. Yay!