Here's yet another attempt to coax culinary blood from the proverbial stone that is unleavened bread. Matzah brei is the pascal equivalent of french toast. The French term for french toast is pain perdu (and I'll bet you thought it was "toast"). Pain perdu is literally "lost bread": bread that has gone stale but can be brought back to life by a soaking in eggs and milk. Personally I don't know what life matzah ever had in it to be reawakened, but mine are a resourceful people, who never shrink from a challenge.

The great standing debate over matzah brei is whether it should be sweet or savory. Sweet matzah brei is more like french toast, made with vanilla and a little sugar, and sometimes served with maple syrup. Savory french toast is more like a matzah omelet: it's often made with onions and black pepper, and often has a higher proportion of egg (food blogger Amy even makes hers with bacon, which is funny on at least three different levels). My uncle actually splits the difference, putting maple syrup on a savory onion matzah brei (which is gross on at least three different levels).

I prefer the sweet variety, so here's my matzah brei recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 piece matzah
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 3 tbsp milk
  
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  
• pinch sugar
  
• pinch salt
  
• 1 tbsp butter
  

Whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Break the matzah into bite-sized pieces and put them into the egg mixture to soak, stirring them around to coat them completely. Leave them to soak for about 15 minutes in the fridge.

Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat. When it begins to bubble, add the matzah and egg mixture and stir constantly until it dries and begins to brown slightly. Remove to a plate and serve with maple syrup.