Weekend Cooking: Lamp Post French Toast

When I decided to attend Gettysburg College I knew that the small town was known for its University and the famous battlefield, but I soon discovered that it was also known for its unique breakfast confection.

The Lamp Post Inn was a small restaurant located within walking distance of the college - a definitive advantage for the underclassmen who did not have cars on campus.  Within my first week of school I was told that I simply must try their "French toast"  Now I enjoy a nice breakfast of pancakes and French toast every once in a while, but these college co-eds would make a special trip to the restaurant to partake in a half-order of French toast at any time of the day or night.  After one bite, I was an avid fan and ate countless "half orders" in my four years residency at the school.

Once I was married and had settled into a new life of being a Midwest stay-at-home mom of three children, and had also discovered the vast resource of the world wide web, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at making this decadent delight at home.  I searched numerous recipe sites as well as played with a variety of terms with the vast search engines, but I was never able to find any reference to the restaurant or the recipe.  Not to be daunted by this temporary set-back, I decided that I would try to recreate the dish myself.  

It took several attempts and numerous failures, but I have finally managed to recreate a reasonable facsimile that satisfies both Geoff's and my tastebuds.  Mind you, this is not low-cal nor low-fat, and it is definitely a meal that you would want to fix only every once in a while, but it is absolutely delicious and fills you up for the better part of the day.  Without any further ado here is my homage to the great Gettysburgian classic:

Lamp Post French Toast

Ingredients:

• 6 slices Texas Toast bread (thick slices are essential)
• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Measure the Bisquick into a large bowl.
2. Add the egg and milk and mix until blended.
3. Dip one piece of bread into the pancake mixture - making sure that both sides are covered.
4. Place prepared bread slice into a deep fat fryer set at  approximately 300 degrees and cook until golden brown (I must admit that I have never actually timed this - and I adjust the heat as I cook).
5. Remove from fryer and drain on paper towel.
6. Keep in a warm oven until all the bread slices have been "toasted"
7. You can dress it up with a dusting of powdered sugar, but I think it is best served with warm maple syrup with just a hint of melted butter.
8. One slice of toast = half order; Two slices of toast = full order