Torrijas

I’ve already talked to you about Paquita and my family in Spain remember? This amazing recipe of Croquetas? Well, this one is from Paquita as too! I’m so happy and lucky to get these authentic recipes from her. It’s Celia and Gemma, Paquita’s daughters, who sent me their mom’s recipe. It is simply great! They are Sister to me and I love them more than I can say. They’re still feeding me even if we are far by sending me these recipes involving and evoking all the taste and flavours of Spain … my lovely home. They’re all there and I’m in Quebec. We are not together right now but when I close my eyes and take a bite, I feel like they were here with me and I feel the warmth and the love. It helps me to wait until the next visit.

Torrijas is a typical Easter recipe in Spain but, in my opinion, it’s more like a typical daily breakfast and dessert! HA-HA-HA-HA Don’t wait until Easter por favor! It’s just too good. Warning! You could get addicted after the first time!

INGREDIENTS:

1 bread of 500 gr cut into slices of 1 inch (If you can buy or bake a brioche bread, it would be even better but for this one I used a Belgian loaf and it was amazing)
1 L whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod
1 lemon zest
2 eggs
Frying oil (I use vegetal)

Topping

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon (I don’t put too much because It’s very dominant and I want to taste the other flavours I put in the infused milk)

In a bowl, mix the sugar and the ground cinnamon. Reserve.

PREPARATION:

In a sauce pan, put the milk, the sugar, the cinnamon stick and the lemon zest. Open the vanilla pod in two and extract the seeds to put in the milk and put the pod as well. Warm over low heat for about 30 minutes and stir constantly during the infusion process.
Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
Place the slices of bread on a large baking sheet (make sure it’s deep enough to contain all the milk) and strain the milk over the bread. Let it rest for at least an hour. If you can wait longer, your Torrijas will be even better and creamier … my point is you really should let them rest longer.
Whisk the eggs in a deep plate.
Put enough frying oil in a medium-large sauce pan. Heat the oil over high heat. If you want to know if the oil is ready, put a piece of bread in and if it becomes golden, it’s time. Right temperature is 350 °F.
Soak the infused bread in the eggs and then put the slices little by little in the hot oil. Don’t put them all at once. I go about 2 or 3 at the time. Turn the Torrijas when the first side is golden and then continue to cook until both sides are perfectly golden. It will take about 3 minutes on each side.
Remove the Torrijas from the oil with a slotted spoon and put them on a large plate with paper towels to absorb the excess of oil.
Repeat the operation until all the Torrijas are done!
Sprinkle a lot of your sugar and cinnamon blend on both sides of the hot Torrijas and eat them all RIGHT NOW!!! Sweet lord this is just crazy! Like Jean-Félix says, it’s like French toast on steroids! I will say thank you to Paquita and to my sisters from you because after that, I know you guys will thank them and start to love them as much as I do! HA-HA-HA

Buen provencho!

Love you!!!

Sefra