On Pan-Toasted Sweet Bread

One of my favorite cancelled cult TV series is Dead Like Me. A morbid little show that only lasted two seasons on Showtime about a handful of miscreants that were chosen to become grim reapers when they died. They look like us and talk like us but it's their job to remove the soul of a person about to die. The benefit to the reapers is that they get to go on pretending to live while they do their job.

(Think about that for a minute.)

The show had its share of shenanigans and heartwarming storylines and heartbreaking examinations of the nature of death. But of course, I remember the food. They spend a lot of time at an all-night diner where the boss, Rube, lectures on life and food. Just what makes corned beef hash. That he goes on doing this because he loves spaghetti and the crossword puzzle. And one night he asks the waitress for a muffin (carrot, I believe), cut in half, toasted on the griddle with lots of butter.

Of course all bread is better toasted in a pan with butter. But sweet breads, like pound cake or quick lemon bread are even better because they caramelize. So the outside is crispy and chewy and sweet and brown and your teeth crack through the crust to the soft, meaty inside. It's really no more butter than you would use to butter a piece of toast, but I'm not that concerned about how healthy this is for breakfast. Partly because it's delicious, and you deserve to start your morning with something delicious.

And partly because that is a shitton of Bailey's in that coffee.