Seville-style torrijas (french toast)

Recipe

Torrijas are a traditional sweet in Lent. It is not exactly known exactly when the torrijas were first elaborated; however, it is believed that they date back to the Middle Ages and that, from this point onwards, the recipe has spread quickly because of its easy preparation. Its place of origin can be found in the convents of Andalusia and it was the perfect remedy to take advantage of leftover bread. Shortly afterwards, they began to be prepared at home.

Heat the wine a bit up together with the sugar, one of the peels and the cinnamon stick, in order to evaporate the alcohol a little so that it acquires a taste of these ingredients. Heat abundant oil with the cinnamon stick and the other peel, frying them a little so that this oil also acquires the flavour and remove the cinnamon and the peel.

Soak the slices of bread in the wine; just put them in and take them out, as otherwise they will get very wet, and the wine will soak faster when it is hot. Pass through a beaten egg and fry them in the oil until they are golden.

It is necessary to filter the oil from time to time since it gets dirty quickly and it is convenient to fry them in small batches so that they do not pile up and break. Drain them on absorbent paper.

Then start placing them on a platter. Once we have them all, boil the honey with the water and pour this liquid over the platter. Let them cool for a few hours and, when we are about to serve them, drain them with a skimmer before putting them on the dish.