Pumpkin French Toast (Pain Perdu Recipe)

It’s that time of the year again! Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. The time for fall flavors has definitely arrived. Pumpkin is one of the most versatile ingredients of the season, and today I used it to put a twist on French toast. I prepared a simple custard batter flavored with pumpkin purée and saffron and soaked day-old stale bread. I paired it with a saffron-sweetened heavy whipping cream. The dish is fragrant and flavorful without being overly sweet. It’s definitely a departure from your average pain perdu (literally "stolen bread").

This would be a wonderful treat for Sunday brunch, or for the day after Thanksgiving. I’m making it today for Lulu as a reward for volunteering to take the girls trick-or-treating last night. The girls’ feet started hurting, so he cut the outing short and took them to the supermarket to buy bags of chocolates and candies. That still counts though, right?

Breaded Tofu: Tofu Parmesan Recipe

Tofu parmigiana is one of the many variations on meat dishes I make, so I'm able to share a similar meal with my husband Lulu, who is a vegetarian. The last time I prepared this dish was to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a romantic dinner. It was a perfect date-night menu: I had chicken and he had tofu.

For this version, I breaded firm tofu with Japanese bread crumbs (panko). First, I flavored the panko with dried oregano and garlic powder. Then, I pan-fried the panko-dredged tofu, layered it with a creamy tomato sauce and a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and topped it all with Parmesan cheese. The cheese finished melting in the oven, and with a garnish of sweet basil the dish was complete. I served it with a side of linguine pasta. I guarantee you this dish is as delicious as the meat version!

French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)

I had some gata bread that had been going stale on the kitchen counter this weekend. In case you don’t know, gata bread is a soft, chewy, Armenian sweet bread that pairs wonderfully with coffee. Given my aversion to waste, I immediately thought it would make the perfect breakfast if I soaked it in a little egg-sugar-milk mixture. It's called pain perdu, which literally translates to "lost bread” ("French toast" in English).

To accompany the French toast, I made a compote de figues, simply "fig sauce". I placed the bread on a bed of crème anglaise and topped it with freshly whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

You’ll like this so much you’ll find yourself purposely letting bread get a little dry. And it’s not just great at breakfast; French toast also makes a tasty after-school snack for children (goûter in French).

Lentil Patties in Lavash Wrap (+ Giveaway)

Getting creative with sandwiches usually means changing the combination of meats, cheeses, veggies or sauces used. Another way to go is to use a different kind of bread. I’ve tried making sandwiches with naans in the past, and they turned out fabulously. So when our friend Lilea from California Lavash sent us packages of soft, thin, out-of-this-world lavash bread, I decided to make sandwich wraps with it. Fresh lavash bread is flexible and doesn’t tear so I tightly rolled up each lavash around the filling into a cone, folded the bottom and secured the wrap into a small glass cup.

For the filling, I used left-over mashed potato curry, tomatoes, lentil patties (for a vegetarian version), blue cheese, yogurt sauce and alfalfa sprouts for freshness. If you want to serve the same treats for your family, Pham Fatale and California Lavash have put together a giveaway this week. Just click the "like" button below and you’re entered in the contest! At the end of the week, we’ll pick three winners at random who will win two bags of whole wheat, original, spinach and pizza lavash. And check back again this week to see what else I do with lavash. Good Luck!

Watermelon Panzanella Recipe (Summer Salad)

Panzanella originates from Florence, probably the most famous city in Tuscany. I spent a couple of vacations in this beautiful city as a teenager and I can clearly remember the freshness of the dish. This salad is typically made of soaked stale bread with tomatoes and other flavorings. I haven't been able to find any fully ripe tomatoes at my local market yet, so I replaced them with juicy watermelon.

I kept the panzanella salad strictly vegetarian, mixing vegetables with steamed lentils. For added flavors, you could add shredded tuna, anchovies or boiled eggs.