Stores wiped out of French toast essentials

Many people in South Jersey and Philadelphia are preparing for Hurrican Irene by stocking up on essentials.

On Friday, the Home Depot in Sicklerville, South Jersey, sold out of the thousands of batteries it had in stock. It has no more generators nor sand, and is selling sump pumps at the rate of about 25 an hour.

The Wegman’s in Cherry Hill ran out of water on Friday, and is running out of eggs, bread, and milk.

Perhaps not coincidentally, those are the ingredients for french toast.

During the grand opening of the new Superfresh in Northern Liberties on Friday, business was boosted by people stocking up on eggs, bread, and milk.

“That’s what was said at our meeting last night, at a prep meeting for the hurricane event,” said district manager Kevin Reger on Friday. “What was going to happen, as far as customers eating french toast for the next couple days.”

French toast has taken on unusual importance for Philadelphia-based old-school rapper SchoolyD. The man who gave us “P.S.K. What Does it Mean?” and “Parkside 5-2” has an online video blog called Funky French Toast Fridays, in which he shares favorite recipes learned from his father.

“A Friday or Saturday when he would play James Brown, and make us watch films about Martin Luther King,” said SchoollyD, aka Jesse Weaver, jr. “And one of his things was french toast.”

Here’s how you do it, Schooly-style.

nutmeg

1 tbl cinnamon (“don’t buy the cheap cinnamon. Get it in sticks.”)

3 eggs

a drop of vanilla

a pinch of salt

a little brandy

a little milk, maybe 1/4 cup (“Some people like soggy french toast, some people like eggy french toast. All depends on what you’re doing.”)

“You gotta have, like, day-old bread. That makes the outside crunchy. You can also use day-old croissant.”

Put some butter and a little oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Slice bread in little pieces. Dip on both sides, and fry once on each side.

Thaw a package of frozen wild blueberries (“They gotta be wild blueberries.”) Add a little maple syrup, some nutmeg, a little cinnamon, and some cayenne. Spoon over the toast. 

“Its healthy, it’s sweet, and it’s spicy,” said SchoollyD. “There you go.”

The toast can be made in advance of a major weather event.

“I make a whole batch of french toast and we eat from Friday to Saturday as a quick snack. Everybody grabs a little slice here and there and just keeps it going. You can make a batch of french toast that can last a day or two.”

But SchoollyD, along with many shoppers at the new Superfresh in LoLibs, do not believe the hurricane will be disastrous. SchoolyD says he plans to do some outdoor grilling this weekend.