Torrijas – Spanish ‘French’ Toast
Semana Santa (the week leading up to Easter) calls for one of my all-time-favourite Spanish desserts – torrijas. These cinnamon-dusted mini bites of French (or Spanish!) toast are drenched with lemon and vanilla infused milk before frying, leaving them soft and juicy inside.
Torrijas are usually served as a dessert or snack, rather than a breakfast item, but they are so tasty and easy to make that you may find yourself whipping up a batch of torrijas several times a day! It is Easter, after all, and in a toss-up between a cheap chocolate egg and a torrija, I know who’s coming out on top! Serve with a glass of dessert wine or port (some people even infuse their torrijas with sweet wine for an added kick!)
What is your favourite Easter dessert? Would you prefer a chocolate egg or a torrija? Let us know in the comments below!
Ingredients
250ml sem-skimmed milk
the peel of 1/2 lemon in one piece
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 vanilla pod
100g of slightly stale baguette
plain white flour
2 eggs
3tbsp olive oil
ground cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the milk, lemon peel, cinnamon stick and vanilla seeds (technique for removing these here) in a small saucepan on a very low heat. Gently simmer for 5 minutes, without boiling. Leave to cool.
- Cut the baguette in 2-cm-thick slices and place in a wide deep plate. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick from the milk and pour over the slices of bread. Turn the slices of bread so that both sides absorb as much milk as possible.
- Pour a small amount of flour onto a plate and beat the egg in a small bowl. Pour the olive oil into the frying pan – the base of the pan should be covered but this will depend on the size of your saucepan. Heat the oil until it sizzles when a breadcrumb is dropped into it.
- Pass each slice of milk soaked bread through the flour and then the egg. Place in the saucepan and fry for around 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Place on a plate covered in kitchen towels to remove excess oil, and then sprinkled your torrijas with ground cinnamon and sugar. Serve with a coffee or glass of dessert wine.
