Breakfast: Grilled Vanilla French Toast

Recipe by Kristin Donnelly If your grill is large enough, you can bang out all 12 slices of French toast in just a few minutes. While any white bread is delicious here, brioche and challah make especially custardy toasts.

Ingredients

6 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups half and half
One 9-to-10-inch loaf of brioche, challah or white sandwich bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick (about 12 slices), lightly toasted
Vegetable oil, for grilling
Butter and maple syrup or jam, for serving

Instructions

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a shallow baking dish, whisk the eggs with the sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk in the half-and-half.
Working in batches, add the slices of bread to the egg mixture and turn to coat; let stand until well soaked, 1 to 2 minutes.
Lightly oil the grill grates, then grill the soaked bread over moderately high heat until dark brown grill marks form on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and grill for about 2 minutes longer, until the French toast is cooked through.
Transfer to plates and serve with butter and maple syrup or jam.