- Milk bread presents the proper smooth and barely candy base to French toast, concurrently crisping on the skin whereas staying custardy within the center.
- The salty-sweet pairing of the peanut butter filling and the sweetened condensed milk drizzle makes this the last word brunch dish.
- Lemon juice and buttermilk add a tangy component to the sweetened condensed milk, slicing by the sweetness for a balanced taste.
Inspired by the Hong Kong–model French toasts chef Melissa King grew up consuming at Chinese cafés along with her grandmother, these peanut butter–stuffed sandwiches present in her new cookbook, Cook Like a Kingare the last word candy breakfast or brunch deal with. A fast dip in a vanilla-egg custard combination earlier than frying provides the French toast a lightweight, crispy exterior whereas the middle stays smooth and gooey. To take it to the subsequent stage, King provides an non-compulsory savory garnish. Crumbles of lap cheong (Chinese sausage) are fried till crisp and sprinkled over the French toast for a salty distinction to the sweetened condensed milk drizzle.
The origins of this dish could be traced again to Hong Kong’s colonial interval underneath British rule (1841–1997), when Western culinary staples like tea, toast, and desserts have been launched to the world. The locals started incorporating these parts into their very own cooking whereas adapting the dishes to go well with their very own tastes, making them richer and extra flavorful. Hong Kong–model French toast is among the outcomes of this fusion. The dish gained recognition within the Fifties and ’60s with the rise of cha chaan tengs, reasonably priced diners or cafés specializing on this East-meets-West delicacies.
Unlike the French toast that’s generally present in American breakfast eating places, Hong Kong–model French toast options milk bread crammed with peanut butter. The thick-sliced sandwiches are sometimes deep fried, however this model makes use of much less oil for an easy-to-make shallow-fried model. The result’s a hearty, golden-brown fork-and-knife French toast with a molten peanut butter filling and slathering of lemony sweetened condensed milk.
What is milk bread?
Milk bread is a smooth and fluffy, barely candy bread generally discovered at Japanese bakeries. It’s made utilizing a tangzhong, a flour-and-milk combination much like a thick roux, that enables the dough to soak up extra moisture. This is what provides the bread its attribute superb crumb and smooth texture. Milk bread is obtainable at most Asian grocery shops or on-line at goldbelly.com.
If you’re unable to seek out milk bread, brioche will work nicely on this recipe. Avoid utilizing different sorts of bread, as they could disintegrate when soaked within the custard combination or get too crisp and onerous when fried.
How to make the lap cheong crumble
Peel off and discard the casings of two chilled lap cheong (Chinese pork sausage) hyperlinks (about 5 ounces). Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch rounds, and course of in a meals processor till very finely chopped, 15 to 30 seconds.
Cook the sausage crumbles and 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high, stirring typically, till the sausage is crispy and calmly browned, 6 to eight minutes. Transfer the sausage crumbles to a paper towel–lined plate utilizing a slotted spoon; let cool fully.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Buy a loaf of unsliced milk bread and reduce it your self so you possibly can management the thickness of the slices.
- If you don’t have a thermometer to verify the warmth of the oil, submerge the top of a wood chopstick or wood spoon into the oil; if it instantly releases bubbles, it’s scorching sufficient to fry the French toast.
- Heat the sweetened condensed milk combination simply till it’s heat — if it will get too scorching, the buttermilk might curdle.
This recipe was developed by Melissa King; the textual content was written by Paige Grandjean.
