Rabanadas (Portuguese Christmas French Toast) with Port Wine Syrup

Ingredients

For the rabanadas

• 1 loaf of traditional Portuguese bread (1 to 2 days old)
• 2 eggs
• 500 ml (2 cups) milk
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp sugar
• Butter, for frying

For the port wine syrup

• 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water
• 150 g (¾ cup) sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• Orange peel
• Lemon peel
• 50 ml (3½ tbsp) Licor Beirão
• 150 ml (⅔ cup) port wine

To finish (optional)

• Powdered sugar
• Ground cinnamon

Shop the ingredients in the Seabra Foods collection

Instructions

1. Prep the bread:
2. Cut the bread into thick slices, about two fingers wide. The bread should be dry, so it soaks up the milk without falling apart.
3. Make the flavored milk:
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, salt and sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves and let it rest a few minutes to infuse.
5. Soak the bread:
6. Dip each slice of bread in the flavored milk, letting it soak until completely moist. If needed, dip the slices again to make sure they are well soaked.
7. Fry the rabanadas:
8. Heat a skillet with butter over medium-high heat. Fry the rabanadas until golden and caramelized outside, keeping the inside creamy, almost like a custard. Set aside.
9. Make the port wine syrup:
10. In a saucepan, add the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise and the orange and lemon peels. Add the Licor Beirão and port wine. Bring to a boil and let it reduce for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
11. Finish and serve:
12. Serve the rabanadas plain with sugar and cinnamon, or drizzle generously with the port wine syrup, warm or cold, as you prefer.

Tip

For an even richer flavor, make the syrup the day before and let it rest overnight. The rabanadas are even more aromatic when drizzled with the syrup just before serving.