Torrijas (Spanish-Style French Toast)

"Torr-reh-has" tranforms day-old bread into a sweet honey, citrus and cinnamon-scented treat everyone will love.

1 loaf stale French bread, sliced into 1.5-inch thick slices (about 12-15 slices)
5 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. orange zest, finely grated
½ tsp. lemon zest, finely grated (or more orange zest), to taste
2 cups half-and-half
¾ cup sweet wine or cream sherry (or more half-and-half)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, or as needed
Honey, for drizzling, optional
Cinnamon, for serving, optional

Arrange the bread slices, in a single layer, in a large baking dish or deep baking sheet.
Place the eggs, vanilla and all the zest in a medium bowl; whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the half-and-half and wine.
Pour this mixture over the bread slices, turning to coat both sides; soak the bread until soft; 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
Heat a griddle to medium-high (400°F); if using a large cast-iron skillet, heat on the stove, over medium-high heat, or over a direct fire on a grill.
To check the temperature, shake a few drops of water onto the griddle/skillet; when properly heated, the water will evaporate in 1 to 2 seconds.
Impale half the butter on a fork then rub it over the griddle/skillet to grease.
When the butter bubbles, gently transfer the bread to the griddle/skillet, leaving an inch or so between each slice; cooking in multiple batches is fine; cook until browned on the bottom; 2 to 3 minutes.
Melt the remaining butter between the bread slices.
Flip them onto the buttered griddle/skillet and cook until the bottoms are browned; another 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the torrijas to a platter or individual plates; dust with the cinnamon sugar and drizzle with honey, if desired.

Tradition calls for the bread to be a little stale, and is a good way to use up stale bread, but you’ll also get great results with fresh bread.