French Toast was probably my favorite breakfast growing up and recently I've been receiving lots of different variations of this popular morning food.  Some with different fruits and spices, some stuffed, some layered, the classic single slice and family casserole style.  It made me wonder, why do we call it "French" toast anyway?  I know it's not really French, or is it?

Wikipedia's etymology says the earliest use of the term was in 1660 and was bread fried with wine, orange juice and sugar.  I'll have to give that recipe a try!  After doing a little more digging through Google, I discovered in French it is actually called "pain perdu" which translates into "lost bread."  It was a popular recipe in many countries, not just France, as a way of making stale bread palatable.  The English call it "gyspy bread" and I think I'd like to adopt that term from now on ... sounds like breakfast with an adventurous edge!

While there are many different adaptations, the basics remain the same.  A simple batter of eggs and milk.  And I like to add a dash of vanilla, the way my Mom always made it.

This recipe comes from Diane Kenniston Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Maine. She likes to make her French Toast with shell or heart shaped homemade biscuits.  In lieu of biscuits I used some Texas sized bread.

Here's what you'll need:

The basics ... milk, eggs, bread, butter

Add to that a dash of vanilla, some sugar, walnuts, strawberries, and maple syrup.

You can do this same recipe with whole slices of bread instead of heart shapes.  Or, if you're like me, next time you walk through the baking section of your store and see all the cookie molds you'll dream of French Toast in the shape of flowers, butterflies, kittens, birds, musical notes and the State of California.  (That last one was random, I know)

If' you're going to make it into a shape, cut your bread first ...

Then add the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla to a large bowl and mix well.

Pour mixed batter into a shallow bowl for dipping.

Then start layering into a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Slice your strawberries and layer on top of the bread.  Isn't this starting to look like a lovely Valentine's Day breakfast?

Next, put a layer of bread on top of the strawberries, sort of like a sandwich.

I poured the extra batter over top to fully soak them in eggy goodness.

Sprinkle with walnuts and add a dab of butter to the top of each toast.

Bake at 325 for about half an hour.

And you'll have plenty of left over crust to make bread pudding ... or feed the ducks.

When they're finished, slice around the edge of the hearts with a knife and serve individually with strawberries and maple syrup.

Doesn't it look like it's sticking it's tongue out?

That is, if French Toast could sass back and actually had a  tongue.

Mmm.  Delish.

Heart Shaped Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

This is the "2nd" course of the all-day-long breakfast we enjoyed recently with Jaden & her family at the Mount Dora Historic Inn.  The main dish was the Italian Strata, but after looking at these photos I'm not sure how I even had the room in my tummy to move on to a 3rd course!  (But I did finish the plate ... every last tasty morsel.  Then I ran 17 miles that evening so I could keep my girlish figure.)

Now, when Chef Jim said he was making "stuffed" French Toast, I imagined two thick slices of some soft bread sandwiched around ricotta and raspberry.  But he goes extreme.

Gigantic.

HUMONGOUS.

COLOSSAL!

One slice of bread ... that is literally ... the size of a whole loaf. Whoa.

And he says he made this bread from scratch too ... but I have to see that live and in person to gather photographic evidence to believe it.  It's just too perfect.  Gives me a baking complex.

My next question to him was, "how in the heck do you get it to cook all the way through?"  To which is reply is, "watch and learn young grasshoppah ..."

Try out his recipe and drool over the photos Jaden took of the whole process.  And yes, it tastes just as good as it looks.

Ricotta and Raspberry Stuffed-French Toast

INGREDIENTS

Photos by Jaden Hair

2, Loaves Italian Sandwich Bread (not too crusty, more doughy)

Filling
6, Ounces of  Whole Milk—Ricotta Cheese
4, Ounces of Red Raspberry preserves

Cream (French Toast) Mix
8, large eggs
2 to 2 ½ cups of ½ and ½
2, teaspoons vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1) Blend Ricotta and Raspberry preserves in a large bowl

2) Slice loaves on a 2 inch bias (slanted), about 20 degrees or to preference, and

save end pieces for a Strata—another breakfast fave!

3) Cut a slit length wise across the top of each piece of bread (corner to corner), and place on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil for easy clean up

4) Spoon mixture into bread pockets and set on cookie sheet so opening is facing up—this helps to keep filling from oozing out

5) Make cream mixture by whisking together the eggs, cream, and Vanilla extract—use a large bowl for this

6) Roll each, stuffed piece of bread in the cream mixture until just wet—do not over saturate, then place pieces on a cookie sheet (slit up), and drizzle remaining cream on top

7) Cover with saran wrap and allow to sit overnight—this allows the bread to surrender to the cream.

COOKING PROCESS

1) The following morning carefully unwrap your uncooked French toast and roll the tops in the remaining cream to wet—set aside

2) Preheat for 10 minutes an electric griddle (275 degrees) —very important to use an electric griddle—they cost about $30.00 and they are fantastic for Pancakes, French toast, Blintzes, etc.

3) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

4) After the griddle is preheated, coat with cooking spray

5) Brown French toast (about 3 minutes for the first side and 4 minutes for the second side—check by tilting the French toast with spatula every minute or two to ensure they do not burn

6) Place on a (Baker’s Secret) cookie sheet covered with tinfoil and bake in oven (400 degrees) for 5 to 6 minutes per side.  These double-layered cookie sheets (Baker’s Secret)—are readily available at your local grocer—prevent the bottom of your toast from burning

7) Powder sugar on each plate and then on French Toast

8) For presentation, you can slice extra strawberries on either side of plate; personally though, I like to plate the French Toast with bacon or kielbasa (Mmm…

healthy).

9) Serve with your   favorite syrup and butter

Note: As this dish is finishedin the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, the outer surfaces of the French toast should be pastry-like (crispy, not burned) to the touch.  If not, than it should be baked a bit longer.  If you do not have a double-layered cookie sheet, use two cookie sheets (nested—one on top of the other), this is not the best method; however, it will help.

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