Feast or Flop is back! I wish I could accompany the statement of my return with 鈥渂etter than ever,鈥� but the inspiration for this recipe came from the depths of despair, desolation and disease. My isolation period was spent mindlessly scrolling through a messed-up Instagram algorithm: self-depriving memes, outfits I will never have the motivation nor budget to wear and, of course, recipes upon recipes upon recipes. One recurring recipe was these strange toasts that looked somewhere between a breakfast, pastry and a dessert. Naturally, I had to test it out.
Below, you can find a list of the ingredients as well as the instructions I followed:
- 陆 cup yogurt*
- One egg
- Pinch of cinnamon
- One tbsp maple syrup
- 陆 tsp vanilla
- Slices of bread
- Choice of fruit
- Combine yogurt, egg, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla
- Indent wells into middle of bread slices with back of spoon or fingers
- Spoon custard mix into wells
- Bake for 12-15 minutes at 180掳C (or until custard sets)
*You can substitute the yogurt for a non-dairy alternative.
Original recipe: on Instagram. Posted Feb. 7, 2022.
Video by Emma Lucas. Music courtesy of Bensound.
To arrive at the final verdict, I will be assessing the recipe based on three criteria: accessibility, difficulty and taste.
Accessibility
In terms of accessibility, you could essentially reduce this to three ingredients using an egg, yogurt and bread. That said, I don’t know how much I would recommend this as a simplified, 18th century-esque recipe. It was nice to have a zing of flavor through the additional spices, such as cinnamon, and include customizable fruit, too. Many variations can be made based on preference, so overall, the dish gets a thumbs-up.
Difficulty
As you can see from these four-step instructions, this recipe is not difficult, even for an amateur. It鈥檚 an almost perfect, no-brainer dish to assemble. I say almost because of my own foolish choice to use sourdough bread, against which I strongly advise. The motivation behind the use of sourdough? Couldn鈥檛 tell you. Perhaps it was the only bread I saw on the counter while frantically shuffling through my pantry; or maybe it was simply my affinity for sourdough bread.
It鈥檚 an almost perfect, no-brainer dish to assemble.
Upon reflection, I put too much trust in this bread. What it offered me in return can only be described as a betrayal. As I was attempting to indent the wells, the bread kept springing back up. It didn鈥檛 matter whether I used the back of a spoon or the tips of my fingers 鈥� she had already made up her stubborn little mind. As a result, the custard was more prone to seeping out of the wells, which didn鈥檛 make for a swift clean-up. To avoid this issue, I recommend using a more malleable bread, such as brioche or challah.
Lastly, the most important verdict: taste.聽
Sourdough bread comes back to haunt me, yet again. The crusty texture and slightly acidic hints did not mesh well with the tangy yogurt. As a result, I found the combination of flavors to be slightly monotonous. Use a sweeter, cakier bread to improve overall taste.
What the sourdough bread offered me in return can only be described as a betrayal.
In addition, like every 鈥渆co-conscious鈥� modern teen, I have a crippling fear of dairy. Whether this fear justifies my decision to use oat yogurt is debatable. Since oat yogurt has a different composition than regular yogurt, it compromised the smooth texture and cleaner flavor you would get from the regular version. While I don鈥檛 entirely dismiss the use of alternative yogurt 鈥� especially for dietary reasons 鈥� I would instead recommend traditional greek yogurt.聽
Admittedly, it wasn鈥檛 my favorite recipe, but I only have myself to blame. Given that there are very easy fixes, for now, it鈥檚 a feast.
