My aunt gave me her 1995 edition cookbook published by Gourmet Magazine. It inspires awe from somewhere deep withing me.
Maybe not that deep, but I really like to look at the pictures and dream about the day that I could actually put that many dishes together at the same meal and still eat lunch before 2pm. It actually has very doable recipes and I've used it as a resource for veggies a few times.
Last week I recognized that my cooking has taken to a rut and I needed to break free. So I started flipping through the above said cookbook. I found three recipes I wanted to try and one was their Cranberry Stuffed French Toast.
You may notice that the title of this post says, "Strawberry Stuffed French Toast." You are quite observant. For those of you who know me (bless your heart), know that I never quit on a recipe. Even if I don't have half of the ingredients. I just improvize. For example, one time I was going to try my friend Becca's Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken. I didn't have Pineapple or Teriyaki sauce, but I didn't let that stand in my way. No sir. I just used what I had (oranges and Hoisin sauce that was probably past the due date) and it turned out great!
It doesn't always turn out great though. Just ask my husband.
Anyway, so I didn't have cranberry sauce for this French toast recipe so I just used strawberry jelly and it worked just fine. Here's my photojournalistic explanation of my interpretation of this recipe. Enjoy!
And, yes. I am trying to copy The Pioneer Woman. I'm okay with that.
Saturday starts off with a client. She might be a real foodie.
Start off with some bread. The recipe called for French bread. Sourdough bread was on sale so that's what I bought.
Slice it horizontally to form a pocket of sorts. This definitely works better if the bread is laying with the cut side down. It's more stable. And who couldn't use some more stability in this crazy world??
Use about a 1/2 cup of milk and one egg to form a custard that will soak into the bread.
I had to cut the bread into funky shapes because they were too big to fit in my bowl. If anyone asks, though, it's because I'm artsy.
This is like a whole stick of butter. It is good. But you don't need it all in the pan to make this French toast recipe. Just use about a tablespoon and heat your pan. Let it melt and once it gets past the foamy stage, throw the soggy stuffed bread into the pan and let the magic begin! Let each side cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until each side is toasty brown. BTW, that's the color of the accent wall in our living room.
Plate it up with some confectioner's sugar sprinkled over the top and drizzle or drown it with syrup. Serious yummo. :-)
