I am generally not a fan of sweets for breakfast or brunch. I really only eat them if a friend, relative, or lover cooks them for me. Most places have really average French toast and pancakes. I will eat pancakes on occasion at Bread and Porridge (Santa Monica, CA) and the Griddle Cafe (Hollywood, CA). I tried the French toast at Marston's (its signature dish), it was good but too sweet for my palate. I like French toast to be very eggy (I know that's not a word.) Also, I only like Maple syrup. Most places don't have it. However, I only like a tiny amount of syrup.

Pancakes, waffles and French toast should be so good, they don't need syrup. I still haven't found a good waffle. I only eat these sweets at places that are known for them. So I was blissfully surprised when I fell in love with "Coast Toast." It almost made me want to finish both gigantic pieces, but I made myself eat very slowly so this wouldn't happen. Normally I would get the other half to go, but it would have spoiled since I wasn't going home.

Coast Toast

1 loaf soft French bread sliced diagonally about 1 ½ “thick
1 qt whipping cream
10 eggs
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tbs. vanilla
3 tbs. orange flavoring
Combine liquid ingredients and pour over bread slices.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Remove bread, discard liquid.
Spread butter on flat grill, cook bread until golden brown.
Then bake at 450’ for 5-7 minutes or until bread is puffed up like a soufflé. Dust w/powdered sugar.
Serve immediately

Tony Castro writes:

"...Tried the recipe and it was a success, though I varied it a little. Used regular white bread slices and used orange slices for adornment, though they were quite good with the orange flavoring. Didn't expect the white bread to puff up, but it did. The refrigeration slows everything down. Wondering what would happen if you don't refrigerate for an hour..."

Blog Du Jour: Foodieporn