My Big Fat Cuban Family

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Stuffed French Toast, Cuban Style – A Love Story and A Giveaway

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Breakfast is my very favorite meal.

There. I said it.

I love eggs and bacon and toast and orange juice and anything with maple syrup on it. I love my hot coffee. And I love crispy sausage. Dutch babies? Love them. And don't even get me started on my love for hash browns and homestyle potatoes!

In fact, if left to my own devices, I would find a way to have breakfast for every meal of the day, but that's not important right now. (Well, breakfast food…oh, you know what I mean.)

A couple of years ago I was messing with an idea to make stuffed french toast. Then I remembered Cuban torrejas (TOH-RAY-HAAS), which are basically a form of pain perdu, only I stuffed them with guava and cream cheese. (Oh, yes, I did.)

Then I got an email from my friend, Ana Quincoces Rodriguez. She was working on a cookbook and she saw my recipe for torrejas on Babalú. She wanted to know if it was my own recipe (Yes!) and could she include it in her new cookbook? (Umm….YES!)

The only stipulation I had was that she give me credit in her new book and she did just that. We decided that instead of calling it Torrejas a lo Refugiado, which is what I originally called my creation, that she would call it (appropriately) My Big, Fat, Cuban Torrejas. (Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?)

Her Cuban cookbook is called Sabor! and every single recipe I've tried totally tastes as it should. (Thank you, Ana!) It's destined to become a classic in the Cuban Cookbook World.

And when you get your hands on this fabulous cookbook, please turn to page 204 – 205, where you'll find this:

Torrejas recipe

Torrejas

My Big, Fat, Cuban Torrejas

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
  • 3 whole eggs, beaten
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)
  • Guava paste cut into (about 20) slices
  • 12 oz. tub of cream cheese
  • 8 slices of thick bread. (I found something called Texas Toast – extra thick bread, but pan Cubano works well too)
  • Powdered sugar

1) Whisk together: the egg yolks, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs.

3) Spread each slice of bread generously with the cream cheese.

4) Place about 4 or 5 slices of the guava paste on the bread to make a sandwich.
Spread guava & cream cheese on bread

5) Heat the oil in a large frying pan or griddle. (use enough to just cover the surface)

6) Create an “assembly line” – quickly dip the sandwiches in the egg/milk/cinnamon mixture.

7) Take the soaked sandwich and dip into the beaten egg mixture.

8) Fry these in the hot oil – just until brown, turning once.

Torrejas prep

9) Place the fried sandwiches in a baking dish and place in a hot oven 400° for about 10 minutes, or just until the guava melts.

10) Dust with powdered sugar and slice into quarters. (Or halves if you think you can handle it. =D)

Bake torrejas

The Torrejas can be eaten hot or cold. I prefer the hot, fresh taste of melted guava. Serve with a sweet, hot cafecito.

“De aqui pa’l cielo.”

Thanks for that, Marta. But what's your point?

The good folks at Running Press Cooks! (the publishers of Ana's fabulous cookbook) sent me a copy that I'm going to giveaway. I know. Shut up.

Sabor
Trust me, YOU. WANT. THIS. COOKBOOK.

So, to enter this comment drawing, answer the following question:

  • What's your favorite breakfast food?

Leave a comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Monday, August 2nd at 11:00 am.

Can you guess what my answer would be? =D

You might also like:

Torrejas Recipe - Stuffed with Guava & Cream CheeseTorrejas Recipe – Stuffed with Guava & Cream Cheese Brunch. Cuban style. Love My Skinny Latina For the Love of Rice. (A Cuban Christmas Giveaway)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Once, I was in Hawaii on choir tour. I ended up in a small group that got chosen to sing on a radio show. Singing was an honor, but the best part of the morning was the breakfast buffet at the restaurant afterward.The food was, on the whole, delicious, but one part stood out. The coconut macadamia nut french toast. Nothing could have prepared me for the golden-toasty, melts-on-the-palate bread, slightly crunchy with bits of coconut mixed in. The warm syrup drizzled on top brought out the nutty flavor mixed into the bread. The cut was thick, the flavor was massive, and I went back for seconds.
    That specific french toast is my favorite breakfast food. Quite possibly my favorite meal of all time.
    I’ve never had anything like it. It’s terribly sad to have reached breakfast perfection at age 22.

    Reply

  6. My favorite breakfast is stuffed french toast from IHOP. The recipe in this book sounds like it is similar. It would be wonderful to make this delicious treat on my own. Thank you for sharing yourself with the world!

    Reply

  7. Lately my breakfast consists of american coffee with Hazelnut creamer, but my all-time favorite breakfast has to be Mangu de Platanos con huevos fritos, longaniza y cebollitas. Summers at my Grandmother Lelita’s house in Santo Domingo always started off on the first morning with this feast. Later, when I was vacationing in Puerto Plata with my husband we were served a similar breakfast at the hotel which was called “The Gran Taino”. Every once in a while my husband asks for it, but I have a hard time finding Dominican longaniza here in the states. Wonder how many Weight Watcher points a Gran Taino comes to?

    Reply

  8. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I love a good omelette made with leftover camarones enchilados. When I was in high school, my dad used to make this for me. I always try to save a little of the shrimp when I make it so I can make the omelette for breakfast. Sometimes, I’m successful; other times, not so much. It’s really delicious.

    Reply

  9. @Leesa, I KNEW you would put that! hahahaI have never had Dutch Babies but now I have to try them. I’m almost positive my Robert has…his sweet tooth knows no end…
    I like eggs and toast. I know SO BORING. Oh, and really, really good coffee (that is why I wake up in the morning…haha). I also like when Andrew makes Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. Jessica makes awesome omelets. Okay, I guess almost anything someone else makes and serves me (in bed…I’m such a princess)

    Reply

  10. I’ve made those torrejas, and they are insane! In the same family, my favorite breakfast is french toast (especially the Blueberry one from Mimi’s Cafe). Mmmmm.

    Reply

  11. I am a classic:) My favorite breakfast is the two fried eggs, over easy, bacon, fries, tostada and cafe con leche special at El Rinconcito Latino down the street from my house. Hey, I even took Kikita there when she came to visit on her way to Cuba:)

    Reply

  12. My favorite breakfast is a very dark cortadito, un pastelito de guayaba and a croqueta! It doesn’t get any better!

    Reply

  13. I don’t like typical breakfast food. I grew up ONLY liking cafe con leche and some sort of galleta or bread. Then I started eating cinnamon oatmeal that I put inside my cafe con leche. I also like pizza and any kind of dinner leftovers for breakfast.(with cafe con leche, of course)But my all time favorite is still cafe con leche and toasted Cuban Bread with lots of butter, dipped in, of course.

    Reply

  14. My favorite is eggs over easy and toast to soak up the yolk mmm…. I love our leisurely family breakfast on the weekends. I always make pancakes and café con leche and hubby makes the eggs over easy. But when I’m in a rush my breakfast is whatever is left over on my 3 year old’s plate! 😉

    Reply

  16. I LOVE!!! “Custard French Toast” this is served with fresh fruits over the french toasts and sprinkled with confectioners sugar. the custard is sooo good, you don’t need maple syrup.

    Reply

  17. I have to go with a mix…totally cuban american…cafe con leche with tostada cubana, eggs(over easy)with hashbrowns and bacon….YUMMY!!!!
    and my FAVORITE place for breakfast…VERSAILLES in Miami…. 🙂

    Reply

  18. Favorite? Has to be an omelette with avocado and crab at the Beach House in Laguna Beach, because you sit with a gorgeous view of the ocean, and are served yummy pastries and fresh fruit before you even order breakfast.But, since we are on the subject of breakfast, and you mentioned Dutch Babies, I thought I would pass on this recipe. It is my version of Healthy Dutch Babies, or Puff Pancakes!
    3 T Butter
    1/2 cup Flour
    1/4 cup Whole Grain Flour
    1 T Flaxseed
    1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain Cereal
    1/4 cup Sugar
    1/4 cup Brown Sugar
    3 T Vanilla Extract
    1 cup 2% Reduced Fat Milk
    ——-
    Preheat oven to 425. Place butter in 9 x 13 metal baking pan. Heat butter in skillet while combining all other ingredients. Make sure to tilt the pan, so that the sides are coated before adding mixture to pan. Mixture should be stirred until smooth. Pour in batter and cook on stove for 1 minute on medium heat. Place in middle of oven and bake for 17-20 minutes. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and powdered sugar.
    Tip: make sure there is enough room above the rack for the cake to “puff”!

    Reply

  19. I love chorizo, onions and potatoes sauted in olive oil and cooked into scrambled eggs (with a dash of hot sauce or ketchup) Cuban toast and American coffee..que rico!

    Reply

  22. Grits with fried eggs and bacon. Yes ma’am I’m a southern gal, hopelessly in love with a Cuban man.

    Reply

  23. my Favorite breakfast food is good coffee, fresh orange juice, huevos ranchero with mango salsa, but after I try these cuban waffles, who knows, Cuban waffles may be the new favorite!

    Reply

  25. My favorite breakfast is two eggs over easy with bacon and dry white toast. I love to dip the toast in my freshly salted eggs. Yum!!!! 🙂 I also love oatmeal done right with milk and brown sugar. Yep, that’s my favorite.

    Reply

  26. My favorite breakfast has to be an all-American breakfast consisting of waffles, eggs (over easy) and bacon, but the best breakfast I’ve ever had was at a bed and breakfast where I once stayed and they served the most delicious frittata and waffles I’ve ever had. I loved it so much and the owners were so wonderful that they gave me the recipes. And since I’m a coffee snob, good coffee is just a necessity of life. Period. Pero un buen cafe con leche y tostada de Versailles o de La Carreta is perfect anytime!! 😉 Marta, I’m thinking you like a cortadito or cafecito and pastelitos or tostada. 🙂 I have no idea. LOL

    Reply

  29. Ok, to be fair to my two cultures, pan cubano tostado with croquetas and cafe con leche are my favorite Cuban breakfast. My favorite American breakfast is blueberry pancakes with crispy bacon and hot coffee. I always top off breakfast with cuban coffee too!

    Reply

  30. Stuffed torrejas, oh my! They look delish…I love to eat scrambled eggs con chorizo, pan cubano con mantequilla y cafe con leche. This is a treat when we go visit my parents, who live in the outskirts of Union City, NJ… lots of my peeps there (cubaniches =)

    Reply

  31. Guava pastelitos, cafe con leche and tostada (flavors from Miami). Living in Southern California – this is a luxury!!! 🙂

    Reply

  32. My all-time favorite is chorizo with eggs. My grandmother use to make this all the time when I was younger. My second favorite is french toast. I will need to try your recipe as it looks delish.

    Reply

  33. I didn’t think ANYthing could top your recipe for pastelitos de guayaba, but this recipe for guayaba-stuffed French Toast just might!Favorite breakfast (up until tonight, when I read about this new wonder-meal!) is cottage cheese with plain Greek yogurt (live cultures!), topped with maple syrup (Canadian roots). This is accompanied by a big mug filled halfway with strong American coffee, halfway with cafecito, and (of course!) a splash of half&half stirred in. Breakfast of champions! : )

    Reply

  36. Un cortadito, oscuro please, with cuban toast to drunk into the cortadito… I have enjoyed this for breakfast since I was a child and my children love it as well… My favorite place to have it is at Casavana in Miami…Aye que rico!!!

    Reply

  37. Steak and eggs with lots of coffee to wash it down! When I’m at home, though, I usually make myself a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, and milk. With lots of coffee to wash it down!

    Reply

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