VERY Happy Hanukkah: Apple-Gruyère French Toast With Red Onion

Often times when I come across an appealing recipe online, I will bookmark it and then not do anything with it for several months until I’m combing back through looking for something to cook. But sometimes I see a recipe and need to cook it immediately.

I suppose it would be a funny upending of narrative convention to reveal now that I let this recipe sit around for several months, but as you’ve probably figured out by now, I let it sit around for about 24 hours after I found it.

And it may not be much longer than that before I make it again.

In the Jewish tradition, Hanukkah is a time to eat as many fried foods as possible in order to commemorate the miracle of the oil. Now THAT is a tradition I can get behind. I confess, though, that I cheated and fried the toast in butter rather than oil. I know, I know, somewhere a Maccabee is crying. But while using oil at Hanukkah is a Jewish tradition, using butter whenever humanly possible is a Southern tradition. You can take the boy out of the South…

Claire has never much cared for Melissa Clark, and I don’t blame her. I generally find her writing boring at its best, irritating at its worst. I wouldn’t claim to be any better, but then again I don’t write in the Times. Her recipes, however, are typically top-notch, and this one is no exception. I believe it can safely be declared fool-proof, but it still suffers from the same problem that making French toast always does: You have to choose between cooking one or two pieces at a time or trying to manage three frying pans at once. Neither is especially appealing.

So after cooking (and immediately eating) two pieces, my roommate and I came up with a shortcut that makes the recipe easier to cook in quantity. Bake it:

To do so, just follow steps one and two, and then grease a large baking dish. Layer the apples in the bottom, add the soaked stuffed toast, and top with more apples and onions. I will say that the baked version is not quite as good as the pan-fried version, but it’s definitely easier and allows everyone to eat their food hot and at the same time. A worthwhile trade-off if you ask me.

Edit: You should bake the toast uncovered at 350 for about 45 minutes. Sorry I left this out the first time.

I’ve produced the recipe below exactly as it was in the times. It’s only for two pieces, so you’ll likely want to double or triple it. We each ate two pieces with salad, which made for a pretty good meal.

I also made fun of the first step of this recipe, which I found to be both pedantic and convoluted. I then promptly cut the bread incorrectly. I read “cut into bottom crust” as “cut in to bottom crust,” and so started from the top. The result was a challah taco that actually worked just fine, but you want pita-style not taco-style.

Chag Urim Sameach!

Apple-Gruyère French Toast With Red Onion
from the New York Times

2 1 3/4-inch-thick slices challah bread from middle of loaf
3 ounces grated Gruyère cheese (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small apple, cored, quartered and very thinly sliced

Fried eggs, for serving, optional.
1. Place one slice of bread on kitchen counter, the bottom crust nearest you. Cut into bottom crust, parallel to counter, to make a pocket. Do not cut all the way to top of slice; bread should remain attached there. Tuck half the cheese and onion slices in pocket. Repeat with other slice.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour custard into a wide, shallow dish. Soak stuffed bread in custard, turning once halfway through, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the apple slices in a single layer and cook for 1 minute. Place bread slices in pan, covering apples. Arrange remaining apple slices on top of bread; cook 1 minute more.

4. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium; cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn bread and apples and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve topped with fried eggs if desired.

Yield: 2 servings.