The Lazy Cook

If there were a competition for the most universal dish, then I reckon eggy bread - french toast, pain perdu, call it what you will - would come high up on the list. Just about every country and everybody has their own version of this. The basic idea is simplicity itself - beat up some seasoned eggs and milk as you would for scrambled eggs, then dip a slice of bread in the mixture on both sides, and fry until golden brown. Yummy. So to the variations. Try adding cinnamon and/or nutmeg to the mixture. Some people spread the resulting slice with jam, peanut butter, Marmite, you name it. If you're posh, then you can use brioche or panettone rather than bread. Then rather than a single slice of bread, you can do it to a sandwich - cheese is nice. Many people prefer a slice of this to ordinary fried bread with their "full English". And then of course you can smother the whole thing with honey or maple syrup. Watch the calories though!