Crunchy French Toast: Challah Bread French Toast Coated in Cornflakes

METHOD:

If your pan isn’t big enough to cook all the French toast at the same time, preheat the oven to 200°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, half-and-half, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla. Put the cornflakes in another larger bowl and crush with your hands until pieces are small, but not like breadcrumbs, and somewhat uniform in size. Put 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 do not let it fall apart. Dip the slice into the corn flakes on both sides, pressing to adhere the flakes; set aside on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining slices. Put a griddle or wide, preferably 14-inch, sauté pan over medium heat for several minutes. If using an electric griddle, set the heat to 350°F. Sprinkle griddle with a few drops of water; they should bounce around before evaporating. If they sizzle away quickly, the heat is too high. If they just sit there and slowly steam, the heat is too low. When griddle is properly heated, add a tablespoon of clarified butter for each piece of French toast and tilt to coat the pan.

Add prepared bread in an even layer. Cook until golden on one side, about 4 minutes. Pick each toast up with a spatula and put ½ tablespoon butter in their spot. Flip the toasts onto the butter to cook the other side, about 4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Serve immediately or keep warm oven until all the French toast is cooked.  Cut each piece of bread diagonally in half to make triangles.

To Assemble and Serve:
Arrange the French toast like shingles on serving plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve with softened butter and maple syrup.