Irish French Toast (for grown-ups)

We stretched out our St. Patrick’s Day  celebration into the weekend this year, in part because it didn’t work out to make this when I originally planned. I bought extra Irish soda bread as the holiday approached and decided I wanted to use it for French toast. And that it needed even more of an Irish bent. Whiskey? Hmmm. Wait…. Bailey’s Irish Cream. Oh, yes. Perfect.

I also wanted to make some kind of sauce, but my search yielded sauces that contained fat-laden whipping cream, and I just couldn’t do it. So I came up with a sauce based on nonfat Greek yogurt and, of course, Bailey’s. We were really happy with it, but you might not want to drink it like a smoothie. At least not before work!

Irish French Toast

12 to 14 slices Irish soda bread (this may take more than one loaf)

Butter

Sauce:

1 generous cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (I am sure you could use regular vanilla yogurt)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

Custard:

8 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup fat-free or reduced-fat ‘”half and half” or regular half and half

1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (or cheaper version such as Carolans)

Pinch salt

Cinnamon-flavored syrup

Whisk together yogurt, sugar and Bailey’s till incorporated and smooth. Set aside. Can be made a day or two ahead and kept in fridge in covered container.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl. Whisk in milk, half and half, Bailey’s and salt. Pour into shallow dish. Line with bread slices to soak, turning once to saturate them with custard.

Heat griddle or large skillet. When hot, melt butter on it to cover (I just unwrap one end of a stick of butter or margarine and rub it on the hot griddle). Carefully place soaked bread slices on griddle. Immediately start soaking more bread, remembering to turn it.

When French toast is browned on one side, lift up one slice at a time, rub butter on griddle underneath, and flip toast over onto butter. Repeat till all is cooked.

Serve with a drizzle of cinnamon syrup* and the Bailey’s yogurt sauce. Reheat leftovers gently in microwave or in toaster if the slots are big enough.

*If you can’t find cinnamon syrup, just sprinkle ground cinnamon on each slice of Irish French toast before you flip it. Or you could add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to the sauce.