Cabelleros Pobres (Mexican French Toast)
While you usually eat French toast for breakfast, this Mexican version called caballeros pobres(“poor knights”) is eaten as a dessert. Popular in the Yucatán, this French toast is served with a homemade syrup consisting of piloncillo sugar simmered with a whole cinnamon stick, cloves, anise seeds, and raisins. Since I’m not a huge fan of raisins, I chose to leave them out.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs whites and yolks separated
- 4 slices bread thick sliced
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup piloncillo, panela, or brown sugar
- 1/2 small cinnamon stick
- 1 clove
- 1/8 tsp anise seeds
Instructions
- Simmer all of the syrup ingredients in a small pot over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until reduced and thick. Strain the whole spices and keep warm.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they peak.
- Beat in the egg yolks. Then whisk in the milk, sugar, and vanilla.
- Dip thick slices of bread in the egg batter on both sides. Let each slice absorb the batter.
- Heat up the cooking oil on a griddle over medium heat. Place the battered bread on the griddle.
- Cook the French toast for 5 minutes a side until browned. If your bread is 1” or more, press it down with a spatula to flatten it. You will want the inside cooked all the way through.
