{"id":1756,"date":"2005-04-09T19:34:00","date_gmt":"2005-04-09T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2005\/04\/09\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:25","slug":"for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/","title":{"rendered":"For a French-toast master on his 76th"},"content":{"rendered":"

My father loved to play in the kitchen<\/strong>. For him, relaxing after a long day of patients and paperwork meant pouring a Scotch and taking up residence at the butcher-block island. Sometimes Burg<\/a> would scour our overflowing shelves of cookbooks for ideas or techniques, but mainly he\u2019d work by feel and taste, stewing, saut\u00e9ing, melding this and that\u2014and never keeping the slightest note of the path that led him from start to finished dish. Somewhere there may be an index card in his blocky handwriting, detailing the ingredients for his trademark vinaigrette or summertime potato salad, but it\u2019s unlikely and, anyway, hidden forever in the dark recesses of an overfilled kitchen drawer. His experiments were many, and most were fruitful, but his was an uncalculating science<\/strong>: personal, sensual, ephemeral.<\/p>\n

What I remember most clearly aren\u2019t his lamb shanks or inventions involving endive; it\u2019s Saturday breakfast<\/strong>. Burg, never a late sleeper, would rise early to prowl the local garage-sale scene\u2014occasionally even scrounging up a dubious treasure, such as an ancient, leaden Sharp \u201cHalf Pint\u201d microwave, which I promptly dubbed the \u201cHalf Ton\u201d\u2014but he came home in mid-morning to refuel, and to make breakfast for me. It was nothing fancy\u2014I grew up on Bisquick<\/a> pancakes and honestly, it\u2019s hard to find a better batter today\u2014but we did<\/em> have standards. From an early age, I was trained to be a <\/strong>100%-pure-maple syrup snob<\/strong><\/a>. As a native Canadian, Burg would have nothing else. He bought his chosen brand in an appealingly round-bellied plastic jug and stashed it in the door of the fridge, where it would beckon insistently until Saturday would roll around.<\/p>\n

While I was very fond of the pancakes\u2014fluffy and perfectly circular, thanks to our trusty pancake pan<\/a>\u2014it is Burg\u2019s French toast that haunts me<\/strong>. He was a strong proponent of cooking French toast in oil rather than butter, and in fact, one of my most vivid memories of the last weeks of his life is a bedside conversation I had with him and my half-sister Lisa in the hospital, discussing the merits of oil versus butter in French-toast cookery<\/strong>. The hot oil, Burg claimed, seals the outside of the bread and turns it wondrously crisp and lightly puffed, while the inside melts to a near-custard. He was clearly onto something, because I\u2019ve never had a better version than his. I\u2019m not sure that I can equal it, but this morning, with the help of a loaf of challah I rescued from the freezer, I\u2019ve come close.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Today would be Burg\u2019s 76th birthday<\/strong>, and it seems only fitting to celebrate him this way. For one of the first times in weeks, the sun is shining\u2014a little tentatively, but shining nonetheless. This morning reminds me of a poem I found in one of Burg\u2019s bathroom drawers in the days after his death. It was written on the back of an index card\u2014I suppose he did <\/em>write some things down\u2014and it must have been the fruit of a mid-meeting brainstorm, or maybe an early-morning revelation between garage sales. I don\u2019t think he\u2019d mind my sharing it, but if he does, well, I trust he\u2019ll find some tricky, playful way to let me know. Or then again, since I\u2019ve said awfully nice things about his cooking, maybe he\u2019ll let me enjoy my French toast in peace.<\/p>\n

Sunrise (A Too-Long Haiku)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sun bursts
Out of the eastern night
And flames the sky
With joy\u2014
Your smile.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

(My Attempt at) Burg\u2019s French Toast
<\/strong>
1 cup milk (I used whole, but he probably used 2%)
4 large eggs
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
\u00bc tsp salt
Mild-tasting vegetable oil, such as canola
6 slices bread (a bias-cut country French loaf, or challah, preferably), about \u00be to 1 inch thick
Pure maple syrup, for serving<\/p>\n

Whisk together the first five ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl.<\/p>\n

Place a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over low to medium heat, and add enough oil to just cover the bottom of the skillet.<\/p>\n

Two or three at a time, add the bread slices to the egg mixture in the bowl, allowing them to rest for a minute or two on each side. They should feel heavy and thoroughly saturated, but they should not be falling apart. When the oil is hot, place the slices in the skillet. They should sizzle a bit, and the oil should bubble lightly around the edges of the bread; take care, however, that the oil is not too hot, lest the egg mixture burn. Cook until the underside of each slice is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the bread, and cook until the second side is golden, another 2 minutes or so. Remove the bread from the skillet to a plate lined with a paper towel, allow to rest for 30 seconds or so, and serve immediately\u2014with maple syrup, of course.<\/p>\n

Yield: 6 slices, serving 2 or 3. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My father loved to play in the kitchen. For him, relaxing after a long day of patients and paperwork meant pouring a Scotch and taking up residence at the butcher-block island. Sometimes Burg would scour our overflowing shelves of cookbooks for ideas or techniques, but mainly he\u2019d work by feel and taste, stewing, saut\u00e9ing, melding this and that\u2014and never keeping the slightest note of the path that led him from start to finished dish. Somewhere there may be an index card in his blocky handwriting, detailing the ingredients for his trademark vinaigrette or summertime potato salad, but it\u2019s unlikely and, anyway, hidden forever in the dark recesses of an overfilled kitchen drawer. His experiments were many, and most were fruitful,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFor a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My father loved to play in the kitchen. For him, relaxing after a long day of patients and paperwork meant pouring a Scotch and taking up residence at the butcher-block island. Sometimes Burg would scour our overflowing shelves of cookbooks for ideas or techniques, but mainly he\u2019d work by feel and taste, stewing, saut\u00e9ing, melding this and that\u2014and never keeping the slightest note of the path that led him from start to finished dish. Somewhere there may be an index card in his blocky handwriting, detailing the ingredients for his trademark vinaigrette or summertime potato salad, but it\u2019s unlikely and, anyway, hidden forever in the dark recesses of an overfilled kitchen drawer. His experiments were many, and most were fruitful,…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molly.wizenberg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2005-04-09T19:34:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-09-24T03:54:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mollyorangette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mollyorangette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Molly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/\",\"name\":\"Orangette\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/\",\"name\":\"For a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2005-04-09T19:34:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-09-24T03:54:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"For a French-toast master on his 76th\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe\",\"name\":\"Molly\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/orangette.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/author\/molly\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"For a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"For a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette","og_description":"My father loved to play in the kitchen. For him, relaxing after a long day of patients and paperwork meant pouring a Scotch and taking up residence at the butcher-block island. Sometimes Burg would scour our overflowing shelves of cookbooks for ideas or techniques, but mainly he\u2019d work by feel and taste, stewing, saut\u00e9ing, melding this and that\u2014and never keeping the slightest note of the path that led him from start to finished dish. Somewhere there may be an index card in his blocky handwriting, detailing the ingredients for his trademark vinaigrette or summertime potato salad, but it\u2019s unlikely and, anyway, hidden forever in the dark recesses of an overfilled kitchen drawer. His experiments were many, and most were fruitful,…","og_url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/","og_site_name":"Orangette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molly.wizenberg","article_published_time":"2005-04-09T19:34:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-09-24T03:54:25+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mollyorangette","twitter_site":"@mollyorangette","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Molly","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website","url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/","name":"Orangette","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/04\/French_toast_on_plate_text.0.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/","name":"For a French-toast master on his 76th | Orangette","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2005-04-09T19:34:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-09-24T03:54:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/04\/for-a-french-toast-master-on-his-76th\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"For a French-toast master on his 76th"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe","name":"Molly","sameAs":["http:\/\/orangette.net"],"url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/author\/molly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2301,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756\/revisions\/2301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}