Eat: French Toast with Raspberry Apple Compote

I love breakfast. So much so that I get cranky if I don't get my breakfast carbohydrates. Really cranky. So, don't mess with me when it comes to breakfast because I will f*#k you up. Some people in my presence have been all willy nilly about breakfast and lived to tell about it; but I'm sure they wouldn't recommend it. You probably think I'm joking. Not really. My energy level gets really low if I don't eat something within an hour or so of getting up. I get snippy, absentminded and anxious. It's not even conscious, and I don't often realize it until it's too late. But it's more than just that...I am also quite particular about what I eat. My first meal of the day has to be 'breakfast' food. It doesn't matter if I wake up at the late hour of 1pm, I still need my first meal to be breakfast-y. Don't try to skip right over to lunch; it will not go well. Deep in the recesses of my brain I have a carefully classified list of breakfast stuffs which meet my criteria and nothing else will do.

I realize that the energy drop is physiological in nature, whereas my insistence on breakfast food is, well, neurotic. Can't be helped, I'm afraid. This idiosyncrasy can make for awkward moments while globetrotting, since many countries don't 'do' breakfast like in North America. More than once I have led my traveling companion on a wild goose chase in search of pastries, egg or some other muffin-type food to satiate my need. I have been called unbearable when in that state, and I can't really say it's an unfair assessment. What is the morale of this story? I guess there isn't one, but here are some words of wisdom just to be on the safe side: if its before noon and I'm pissy, offer me your doughnut or other breakfast food.

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On that note, I present last weekend's Buttermilk French Toast from Epicurious.com. I followed the recipe as written except that I used a lovely multi-grain bread instead of challah. I garnished it with a Raspberry and Apple Compote that I improvised by simmering a handful of raspberries with two apples in two tablespoons of maple syrup. The apples were peeled, cored & sliced before being tossed in one tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and then simmered until soft and warm. Observe the size difference between the portion on my plate and that of Marc's. He pointed out that I had seconds whereas he did not, but that's not how I remember it going down. Or perhaps the breakfast carbs hadn't kicked in yet, or whatever...

My Plate

Marc's plate (Okay, okay, not Marc's plate)

Marc's Plate