It was quite eerie how the sun was shining in our kitchen the morning after Hurricane Sandy blew by. Looking at such a beautiful day, it was hard to imagine the havoc that the storm had wreaked. We were lucky enough not to lose power. However, we were without communication for several days – no internet/TV/phones, only random text messaging. Right after the storm we had no real idea of its severity and how many unfortunate people were deeply affected by it.
That morning I heard the other gourmaniac hustling around in the freezer looking for breakfast ingredients. She found a frozen half loaf of challah bread and exclaimed she was making French toast. A simple undertaking which was made so visually appealing with a sliced pear and several blackberries.
The six challah bread slices were soaked in a mixture of 2 eggs, 1/2 cup half-and-half that were whisked together, sprinkled with cinnamon, and fried in unsalted butter. Once plated, we poured some pure maple syrup on the French toast and arranged the sliced pears and blackberries around the plate. And while we enjoyed a quick, easy, and delicious breakfast , unbeknownst to us, the world outside had been forever changed.

