David Burke's Primehouse

David Burke’s Primehouse at 616 N Rush is in the middle of all the action off North Michigan Avenue and the perfect place to duck into on Saturday morning for breakfast. In fact, I was surprised that it was open for breakfast on a Saturday.

In addition to the atmosphere and service being impeccable, the food was so good I put this on my A-list of places to bring friends and family to when I want to really show off Chicago’s culinary scene.

I decided to order the Bananas Foster French Toast because I thought that the steak and eggs sounded too safe. Besides that, I did not want another perfect steak to ruin the high I was coming off of this week by cooking my own at home.

Chef/Partner David Burke and Executive Chef Rick Gresh source fresh produce from both local farmers and Green City Market in order to support seasonality and sustainability in their food.

I liked this recipe because it was not too sweet which really surprised me.

I tried to make the syrup more like traditional Bananas Foster which was totally the wrong approach. While it tastes good over ice cream, it needs to be thicker for this wide cut of french toast. They also added just a little syrup to top it off which I remembered after I smothered mine and then made it over.

The Benton Bacon was delicious but this might also be good with a few flavored pecans instead of the bacon.

This dish will be a great main course for your Easter brunch this Sunday.

Bon Appetit and Happy Easter!

Bananas Foster French Toast

French Toast Batter:

3 eggs

1/3 cup milk, preferably whole
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Batter: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients until a smooth batter is formed.

Caramel Sauce:

1 TBSP unsalted butter
Brown sugar
1 C good maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dark rum
3 bananas, peeled and sliced

Sauce: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add a little brown sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cinnamon and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the rum and then return the pan to the heat. Add maple syrup.Remove from heat.

In a small saute pan, add 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce and the bananas. Saute over high heat until just warmed through. Keep warm.

Topping:
6 slices of bacon

Fry 6 pieces of bacon. Crumble and set aside.

Toast:

6 thick bread slices, preferably French toast bread (brioche) or Texas toast

Preheat a griddle or a nonstick pan over high heat. Dip the bread slices into the batter, then put them on the griddle, turning over after 2 minutes.

To each serving plate, add 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce and top with the French toast. Spoon the bananas, over the toast and drizzle with some of the caramel sauce. Top with bacon.