Berry Stuffed French Toast

Warning: This is an “all the single ladies” moment. Maybe you’re like me and no one else is home when you’re cooking breakfast. This has been my life for the past year since I’ve been working the second shift at the library. Summer break for the college students, means summer break for the second shift...:( I’m stuck in limbo until I move away for my summer job.

My typical Morning-Limbo-Single-Lady-Breakfast is some kind of egg, toast, cheese, vegetarian sausage, and veggies combination. (I try to switch it up a bit to prevent boredom. I’m really not a huge fan of the accepted American breakfast food for this reason).

But this morning was different. Last night, a friend asked if I was still doing this blog. The answer is YES! However…time for amateur photoshoots is limited and I really hate my digital camera. Honestly, my phone takes a better picture most of the time. Someday, I’m going to learn how to take beautiful food pictures like the ones you’ll see on Foodgawker. I’m envious of those bloggers and their picture-taking-skills. Bear with me in the meantime. Please?

Berry and Cream cheese Stuffed French Toast For One Single Lady

(Okay, I guess a single gentleman could make it too…)

The Taming of the Roux

Original Recipe 

2 pieces of bread (I used Pepperidge Farms Light Seven Grain)

1-2 tablespoons cream cheese

Sliced strawberries

Blueberries

1 egg

Tbsp almond milk (or regular milk)

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp pumpkin spice

Tsp vanilla extract

*Notes: I’m allergic to dairy so I used Tofutti cream cheese spread and unsweetened almond milk. You can substitute regular dairy products without any problem. I promise it will be just as delicious. I wish I could eat it that way – it’s cheaper than buying dairy-free products. Also, use whatever bread you have on hand! I know there is a lot of hype out there about using sweeter breads like Challah for making French toast but this isn’t the kind of recipe you should have to go out of your way to buy ingredients to make. French toast, to my understanding, was originally a way to use up stale bread. You don’t have to wait for your bread to go stale but just keep it in mind that French toast is delicious no matter what kind of bread you use.

In a bowl, combine egg, almond milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice (use nutmeg if you don’t have any pumpkin spice). Make sure you whisk completely. You want the egg mixture to be smooth and completely emulsified.

Heat pan or griddle over medium-high, lightly coat with cooking spray and allow to come up to temp. Dip your bread into the egg mixture and drench all the way through. [I haven’t met anyone who actually wants a bite of egg clinging to their French toast] For this reason, it is very important that you mix your eggs well, and let any excess egg mixture drip off the bread before transferring to the hot pan.

Cook bread on one side for a minute then flip and cook on the other side for a minute. [If you’re using a thicker piece of bread, increase to 2 minutes per side.] Now spread your cream cheese on the toast while they are still on the pan. Add your fruit to one piece and cover with the other. Use your spatula to press the toast together for a minute, then flip and cook for another minute.

Yum! Slice on a diagonal, dust with confectioners’ sugar, top with more berries (perhaps some whipped cream – dairy free if you’re like me) and drizzle with a little maple syrup unless your strawberries are juicy enough. :D

Not a bad start to the day! Makes you actually like being single since you definitely don’t want to share this tasty breakfast.

There’s something about the cooking process that is magical with berries. I’d say that 9/10 times you eat your fruit as is but think about it – Apple pie and apple crisp: delicious, Bananas Foster: decadent, Peach Melba: say no more. The strawberries and blueberries only get slightly warmed in this process but it is just enough to get that pixie dust result that makes your tastebuds soar.

All those sparkles? It's because it's MAGICAL.

Oh, and you can easily double this recipe if you wanted to share it with someone or many someones.