deep fried lemon curd french toast with blueberries

An Ode to the Hangover Breakfast
(I want Deep-Fried Lemon Curd French Toast with Blueberries inside me)

Hangover Breakfast is a long-standing, deep seeded and sacred ritual among my friends. We come together after a long night to regale; liquor still on our breath and in our bellies, sharing laughs about the night before and nights before that. Hangover Breakfast is not to be confused with the simple act of going to breakfast hungover. It is an event; an hours long activity dedicated to food and friends.
I equate it with a wholesome Sunday dinner. Just not so wholesome. If you don’t know, there are 8 important criteria to constitute a true Hangover Breakfast:

• Hangover Breakfast is never to be held at a place you can order a Grand Slam combo
• There should be Bloody Marys or Mimosas or maybe even a beer
• There should not be families present
• The more complicated your order gets, the more delicious it will be
• Sometimes the tab for Hangover Breakfast is bigger than the tab from the night before. That’s OK, it means you’re doing it right.
• At Hangover Breakfast, “Should I get bacon or sausage links?” is asked as a rhetorical question. An important question for the table is is, “Why do people peel their lips back when they eat toast? What would it look like if people put their lips ON toast?” (because, really, it looks completely ridiculous)
• There should be a Beach Boys song on the jukebox at least twice in a row
• (Arguably most important) There should be some ridiculously decadent entree and maybe an appetizer for the table, all served with a huge dollop of indecency

The bottom line is, we are all there for the food orgy and the dirty conversation. To soak it up.

This french toast is something so ridiculous and sweet and deep fried and decadent that you’ll definitely want to get your lips all over it.
I practically fainted when I read the name of it, and exploded when I tried it.  Holy Paula Dean, we’re having Deep fried Lemon Curd French Toast with Blueberries!
Smooth texture of lemon curd mingling with sweet challah surrounded by a crispy donut outside. Blueberries add a nice tartness and keep it from feeling too heavy.

Keep in mind that you probably shouldn’t be cooking anything for yourself for a Hangover Breakfast (or stationed anywhere near hot oil - unless it was a really good night).

1 loaf (1lb) Challah bread
Lemon Curd
1 quart as-fresh-as-possible blueberries
At least 2 inches of vegetable oil (for the deep frying)
2 large eggs
1 cup fatty milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons OJ concentrate
1 1/2 tablespoons plain ol’ white sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Cut cross-wise five 1 1/2 inch thick slices.
Generously spread lemon curd on both sides of the bread.

In a large kettle, heat 2 inches of oil over moderate heat until it reaches 375′F (Please use a thermometer. I’ve had more than one grease fire because of my insistence that I could “eye” when the oil was getting too hot)

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Dip bread in the batter (Trick: do not let bread soak). Let excess drip off.

Fry the slices in hot oil, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides. About 2 minutes.
Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with blueberries and fresh whipped cream (it’s sweet enough without maple syrup). Tastes best when fed to you. But, then again, doesn’t everything?