Claude Monet Recipe Pt. II - Cinnamon Toast - Easy

 Blondie - Originally published 01/25/11 - ©King Features Syndicate

This is the second of a two-part series on foods eaten by Claude Monet.   Today will be one of the items served at teatime in the Monet home.

Tea was served in the afternoon under the lime trees, on the balcony or near the pond.  Items served included scones, chestnut cookies, madeleines (a cookie-cake baked in a special mold) and cinnamon toast.

Cinnamon toast?  Yup.  This very simple food that nowadays is eaten only by children used to be served at teatime to Monet's very grown-up guests, who included very famous painters of the time.  

The original recipe doesn't mention it, but to make them a little more fancy-schmancy, I removed the crusts and cut each slice into 4 triangles.  I also changed the baking time to allow for variance in oven temperatures. Especially mine.  The original stated 10 minutes.  My batch started to burn after only 5.

Cinnamon Toast - Easy
Toasts à la canelle
makes 6-8 servings

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
5 tsp. ground cinnamon
12 slices bread

Preheat oven to 450F.

With a wooden spoon, combine butter, sugar and cinnamon into a smooth-ish paste. Spread mixture over one side of each bread slice. With a sharp knife, cut crust from the bread slices.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until butter starts to bubble. Remove toasts to a cutting board and carefully (they easily crumble) cut each slice crossways into 4 triangles.

Serve immediately, preferably with tea.