Worth the Wait (Recipe: Strawberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast)

There are times when life has a knack for keeping even the most avid of cooks out of the kitchen.

Schedules get hectic, plans change, and before you know it, a recipe you intended to experiment with gets put on the back burner (no pun intended).

I experienced this phenomenon recently, for reasons that seemed to compound upon one another. First one day, then two, and before I knew it, a growing pile of recipes I had planned to work through sat abandoned, taunting me from the kitchen counter every time I passed by on my way to the fridge.

“Make me,” one would call as I reached in for the butter. “No, me. Pick me,” another would say as I grabbed the milk. Before long, I found myself shuffling the recipes from one counter to another in effort to to silence their pleas, until one night, I finally brought them to bed.

Cuddled snugly under my comforter, I hunkered down and read through the stack, “Ooo, this one sounds good. Interesting. Aahh, this one sounds better. And this one…this one I have to try.”

Exactly one day (and one unexpected guest) later, I found myself sorting through that stack in a moment of French Toast frenzy. Armed with one recipe and story inspired by James Beard himself, and other recipes inspired by cooks near and far, I finally got the opportunity to tweak and taste my way through a bit of that pile until I officially created a French Toast Bonanza.

Adapted from multiple sources, this spiced version of Strawberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast was fun to make, easy to prepare, creamy, delicious, satisfying, and looked absolutely gorgeous on the breakfast table. When the meal was finished, everyone was smiling and happy, their tummies full, and I had a kitchen full of compliments.

And in case you are curious, the answer is yes. The following recipe for Strawberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast is worth any wait.

Strawberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast

(inspired by Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book, as well as a dear friend of mine)

• 6 (approximately 2″ wide) slices artisan-style Italian, French, or any other dense white bread
• 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• 4 ounces Mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (plus more for garnish)
• 6-8 fresh plump, large strawberries (plus more for garnish)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 level tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

Assembly

Laying each (2″ wide) slice of bread on its edge lengthwise, create a *pocket* by slicing through the middle of each piece but stopping as you near the opposite crust, so as to create a single, hinged piece (much like a clam shell). DO NOT SCOOP OUT ANY OF THE BREAD. Do this for all 6 slices until you have created 6 pieces, each with a hinged *pocket*. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix cream cheese, Mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar until well blended. Set aside.

Slice 6-8 ripe, large strawberries to desired thickness.

Opening the *pocket* of each piece of bread, begin scooping and smoothing the cream cheese, Mascarpone, and powdered sugar mixture into each, creating a thick layer of cream in all. Following the same procedure, lay 1 row of sliced strawberries atop each layer of cream, slightly overlapping the berries as you go. When you are finished, each *pocket* of bread should contain a single layer of cream and a single layer of strawberries. Set aside.

In a medium-sized oval or rectangular dish, mix buttermilk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest with a whisk until blended. Melt (and spread) 2 tablespoons of butter in a 12″ skillet over medium heat.

Dip (don’t soak) each stuffed piece of bread into the buttermilk and egg batter using tongs, taking care to cover both sides and the edges. Drain slightly before setting each piece into the moderate skillet containing melted butter.

Frying no more than 3 pieces at a time, flip each piece over after the bottom reaches a light, golden brown. Continue frying until second side turns a light, golden brown as well. Keep cooked pieces of French toast warm in a 250 degree F oven while you continue cooking the remaining pieces of stuffed French toast.

When all the pieces of stuffed French toast have been cooked, place each on individual serving plates and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Garnish plates with additional whole strawberries, or slice and fan additional strawberries to garnish.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes: This recipe will produce 6 pieces of Strawberries and Cream Stuffed French Toast. As an entree, allow 2 pieces per person. As a side, allow 1 piece per individual. Halve or double the recipe as needed.

You may also substitute regular milk for the buttermilk in this recipe’s batter. If substituting, I suggest you omit the level tablespoon of sugar from the mixture.

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