Crunchy French toast is signature dish

Speaking of French toast - oh, we weren't? Why not? French toast is, after all, a compelling topic.

French toast, under a variety of names, including "Spanish toast," "nun's toast," "German toast," "pain perdu" ("lost bread" in French), "cream toast" or "Poor Knights of Windsor" (in England), has been around since ancient Roman times, according to food historian John Mariani, and first appeared as "French toast" in an American cookbook in 1871.

I encountered an extremely compelling recipe for the dish recently, in the inviting cookbook "Mother's Best" by Lisa Schroeder (Taunton Press, 2009), owner of Mother's Bistro & Bar in Portland, Ore. This recipe, Schroeder says, is her signature breakfast dish.

MOTHER'S CRUNCHY FRENCH TOAST

4 servings

4 large eggs

3⁄4 cup heavy cream

3⁄4 cup half-and-half

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons sugar

pinch ground nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cups cornflakes

6 (1-inch) slices of egg bread (challah) or other sweet bread, such as brioche, Hawaiian bread or Texas toast

9 tablespoons clarified butter (see Cook's note)

confectioners' sugar for serving (optional)

softened butter, for serving

pure maple syrup, for serving

1 cup raspberries, rinsed and dried, for serving (optional)

Heat oven to 200 F. Place a heatproof platter or rimmed baking sheet in the oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, half-and-half, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla.

Place the cornflakes in a large, shallow bowl, and crush with your hands until the pieces are small (but not pulverized) and somewhat uniform in size. Place a rimmed baking sheet nearby to hold the prepared bread.

Dip a slice of bread into the cream mixture, immersing both sides. (Saturate it, but don't let it fall apart.)

Dip the slice into the cornflakes on both sides, pressing to adhere the flakes; set aside on the nearby baking sheet. Repeat with remaining slices.

Place a griddle or wide skillet over medium heat for several minutes. Sprinkle with a few drops of water; adjust the heat until they don't steam or sizzle and evaporate immediately, but bounce around before evaporating.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter for each piece of French toast that will fit in the pan, without crowding. Tilt to coat the pan.

Add the prepared bread; don't crowd. Cook until golden on one side, about four minutes. Lift each piece with a spatula, and put 1⁄2 tablespoon of butter in its space. Flip the toast onto the butter to cook the other side, about four minutes more. Repeat with remaining slices of bread. As the bread is done, place in the warm oven until you have finished with all the slices.

Arrange on each plate. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar (if desired), and serve with butter and maple syrup and a sprinkling of berries, if using.

Cook's note: Clarified butter is unsalted butter that has had the milk solids removed and can withstand burning. To clarify butter, melt two sticks of unsalted butter, and cook at a low temperature until the foamy solids have floated to the top. Skim and discard. Keep cooking over extremely low heat until the remaining solids fall to the bottom and start to turn slightly golden. Pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a heatproof container. Discard the solids. When the clarified butter is cool but still pourable, transfer to an airtight container. Keep covered and refrigerated for up to several months.