Canarian Recipes: Torrijas al Vino
Torrijas are a humble dessert like French Toast that originated from thrift cooking: stale bread, a splash of wine or milk, sugar, and egg. With just a few ingredients, something magical is created: crisp and golden on the outside, yet juicy and flavourful on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of stale bread
- 500 ml of smooth red wine or sweet wine
- 100 g of sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Peel of 1 orange or lemon (optional, but recommended)
- 2 eggs
- Oil for frying
- Sugar and cinnamon powder for sprinkling
Method
- Aromatise the Wine
Combine the wine with sugar, the cinnamon stick, and the citrus peel in a saucepan.
Bring to a gentle boil for about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. - Slice the Bread
Cut the bread into slices approximately 2–3 cm thick and place them in a large dish. - Soak the Torrijas
Gradually pour the cooled wine over the bread to soak it well without it falling apart.
Leave to rest for a few minutes until thoroughly soaked. - Dip in Egg
Beat the eggs and carefully dip each soaked slice in the egg. - Fry
Heat plenty of oil in a frying pan and fry the torrijas until golden brown on both sides.
Remove and drain on kitchen paper. - Coat in Sugar and Cinnamon
Mix sugar with a little cinnamon powder and coat the warm torrijas.
Tips
For a sweeter touch, drizzle a little honey on top.
These are even better the next day, as the flavours settle.
If the wine is too strong, you can mix it with an equal part of water.