By Cody is on day five hundred and fifty. Week four of the Tulsa Library teen writing program was Wednesday. The author leading the workshop was a memoirist named Patricia Acuna, who walked us through the difference between memory-as-fact and memory-as-construction — the way a memoir piece is not just the recall of an event but the active shaping of the recall into something that means more than the event did at the time. The week-four exercise was a one-page memoir centered on a single object. I picked the cast iron skillet from Goodwill, the one Mama bought for $3 in 2014 and that has been on this stove ever since. Patricia Acuna read my draft at the table and said, very quietly, Kaylee, this is the kind of writing that takes most of us decades to find. Iris squeezed my arm again.
And the recipe Saturday was macadamia French toast. Mrs. Henderson’s son in Hawaii had sent her a small bag of macadamia nuts in the mail (he visits Honolulu twice a year for work and brings a little back). She brought half the bag over to me on Wednesday, $6.99 worth at retail, and pressed it into my hand the way she presses things into my hand. The macadamias became the centerpiece of Saturday’s breakfast.
The recipe is from Cookie and Kate. Sliced bread soaked in an egg-and-milk-and-vanilla custard, pan-fried in butter, topped with toasted macadamias and a small drizzle of coconut-cream syrup (coconut milk reduced with brown sugar). Total: about $6.40 for breakfast for three including the cost of the bread, eggs, milk, butter, brown sugar, coconut milk — the macadamias were free.
The technique is the soak-and-fry. The bread needs about thirty seconds in the custard per side — long enough to absorb but not so long that it falls apart. The pan needs to be medium-low so the bread browns without the egg burning. The macadamias get toasted in a small dry skillet for two minutes before chopping and sprinkling on top.
Mama said, eating, baby, this is the kind of breakfast they serve at hotels in Maui, which she has not been to. Neither have I. The breakfast was the closest either of us has been to Maui.
The recipe is below. The trick is the toast-the-nuts step — raw macadamias are good but toasted ones are richer.
Macadamia French Toast
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 thick slices brioche or Texas toast bread
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- Pinch of salt
- Maple syrup and powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- Make the custard. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt until fully combined and slightly frothy.
- Toast the nuts. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped macadamia nuts for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly golden and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Soak the bread. Working in batches, dip each bread slice into the custard mixture, letting it soak for about 20–30 seconds per side so the egg mixture is fully absorbed without the bread falling apart.
- Cook the french toast. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the soaked bread slices in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter between batches as needed.
- Add the nuts. In the last minute of cooking, press a generous pinch of toasted macadamia nuts onto the top surface of each slice so they adhere slightly as the bread finishes.
- Serve. Transfer to plates, dust with powdered sugar, scatter any remaining macadamia nuts over the top, and serve immediately with warm maple syrup on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 45g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg