torrijas is one of my favourite puddings of all time. no messing around with weighing ingredients, blending, mixing...and best of all, you can get 2 puddings out of this.
1. uncooked torrijas
2. cooked and sugared-up torrijas
the first sounds alarming but bear with me. a chef friend from spain told us how his grandmother would prepare the torrijas, leaving them overnight in the fridge...and how he would get to them and eat them in this uncooked state - thereby becoming a whole new pudding in itself.
i'll explain the preparation stage first...
1. take a loaf of brioche - up to 2 days old is perfect - remove the crust and cut into large cubes of around 3 inches long, 2 inches wide and 2 inches thick.
2. place into a large bowl. cover completely with milk. add the peel of one orange and one split vanilla bean. add 1.5 cups of sugar. mix gently.
3. cover with serran wrap, place in the fridge and leave overnight (8hrs).
this is the end of the prep stage. after refrigeration, you can eat the pudding as is. it is lovely chilled and the orange really stands out.
if that's not your thing, move onto stage 2:
1. heat oil in a large, deep pan or use a deep-fat fryer. heat oil until it is almost smoking or until the light on the fryer says it's ready.
2. slowly lower in 2 torrijas at a time - they will spit but this is fine. don't fry more than 2 at a time as it gets messy. it should take around 2 mins per torrija but keep an eye on them and make your own judgement.
3. remove and drain on kitchen towel.
4. roll the torrijas in a mixture of sugar and powdered cinnamon.
5. eat and enjoy!
traditionally eaten in spain at easter time, this is a type of bread pudding if you like. some people add egg to the mixture and don't leave it overnight, but we prefer this version.
you can serve this as a breakfast (an alternative to french toast), or as a pudding with a slick of sabayon.
french toast, but much much better - spanish style
torrijas is one of my favourite puddings of all time. no messing around with weighing ingredients, blending, mixing...and best of all, you can get 2 puddings out of this.
1. uncooked torrijas
2. cooked and sugared-up torrijas
the first sounds alarming but bear with me. a chef friend from spain told us how his grandmother would prepare the torrijas, leaving them overnight in the fridge...and how he would get to them and eat them in this uncooked state - thereby becoming a whole new pudding in itself.
i'll explain the preparation stage first...
1. take a loaf of brioche - up to 2 days old is perfect - remove the crust and cut into large cubes of around 3 inches long, 2 inches wide and 2 inches thick.
2. place into a large bowl. cover completely with milk. add the peel of one orange and one split vanilla bean. add 1.5 cups of sugar. mix gently.
3. cover with serran wrap, place in the fridge and leave overnight (8hrs).
this is the end of the prep stage. after refrigeration, you can eat the pudding as is. it is lovely chilled and the orange really stands out.
if that's not your thing, move onto stage 2:
1. heat oil in a large, deep pan or use a deep-fat fryer. heat oil until it is almost smoking or until the light on the fryer says it's ready.
2. slowly lower in 2 torrijas at a time - they will spit but this is fine. don't fry more than 2 at a time as it gets messy. it should take around 2 mins per torrija but keep an eye on them and make your own judgement.
3. remove and drain on kitchen towel.
4. roll the torrijas in a mixture of sugar and powdered cinnamon.
5. eat and enjoy!
traditionally eaten in spain at easter time, this is a type of bread pudding if you like. some people add egg to the mixture and don't leave it overnight, but we prefer this version.
you can serve this as a breakfast (an alternative to french toast), or as a pudding with a slick of sabayon.
