Apple Crisp French Toast

RECIPE

Yield
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup low-fat or nonfat milk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 Granny Smith apple (about 1/2 lb.)
About 1 tablespoon lemon juice
About 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
12 slices egg or white bread (about 1 lb. total)
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup vanilla-flavor nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granola

Preparation
1. In a shallow pan such as a 8- or 9-inch pie pan, whisk to blend milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.

2. Rinse apple, core, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. In a small bowl, mix apple slices with lemon juice.

3. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Dip 1 bread slice at a time in milk mixture, turn over, and transfer to frying pan without crowding. Cook each batch, turning to brown both sides, about 6 minutes total. As done, set in a single layer on a 14- by 17-inch baking sheet and keep warm in a 200° oven. Add remaining butter to frying pan as needed to cook successive batches.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup maple syrup with yogurt.

5. Also, in a 1-cup glass measure, mix remaining 1/3 cup maple syrup and peanut butter. Heat in a microwave oven at full power (100%) until warm, about 30 seconds, stirring once or twice.

6. Place 2 slices of French toast on each plate. Drain apple slices and lay fruit equally onto toast; sprinkle with granola. Spoon maple-yogurt and peanut butter sauces equally onto portions.

Nutritional Information
Calories:626 (36% from fat)
Protein:21g
Fat:25g (sat 7.7)
Carbohydrate:82g
Fiber:4.5g
Sodium:596mg
Cholesterol:193mg

French cooking@home
by cooking mania

French Toast for a Queen

RECIPE

Yield
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cooking oil spray
8 slices sweet French or challah bread, about 1 inch thick (8 to 12 oz. total)
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Orange wedges

Preparation
1. In a shallow bowl, whisk to blend eggs, egg whites, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. Lightly mist a 10- by 15-inch nonstick pan with cooking oil spray.

3. Soak bread thoroughly on each side, a few pieces at a time, in egg mixture.

4. Place slices slightly apart in a single layer in baking pan.

5. Bake in a 500° oven until toast is golden on bottom, about 5 minutes. With a wide spatula, turn slices over and bake until other side is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer hot French toast to plates.

6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with maple syrup, and serve with orange wedges, squeezing juice onto toast.

Nutritional Information
Calories:237 (17% from fat)
Protein:11g
Fat:4.6g (sat 1.2)
Carbohydrate:35g
Fiber:1.5g
Sodium:428mg
Cholesterol:107mg

French cooking@home
by cooking mania

Baked Coconut French Toast with Tropical Fruit Compote

RECIPE

While the fruit compote really complements this dish, you can omit it and pour on maple syrup instead. If you do so, reduce the amount of sugar in the milk mixture by half.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 2 french toast slices and 1/2 cup compote)

Ingredients
Compote:
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup chopped peeled mango
1 cup chopped peeled papaya
1 cup chopped peeled kiwifruit
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
French toast:
16 (1-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (about 10 ounces)
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups light coconut milk
1 1/4 cups egg substitute
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preparation
To prepare compote, combine first 6 ingredients. Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare the French toast, arrange bread in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine light coconut milk, egg substitute, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, stirring with a whisk, and pour evenly over bread. Turn the bread over to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove bread mixture from refrigerator, and uncover. Turn bread slices over, and sprinkle evenly with flaked coconut. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 30 minutes or until coconut is golden. Serve warm with fruit compote.

Nutritional Information
Calories:349 (22% from fat)
Fat:8.6g (sat 3.5g,mono 1.5g,poly 2.5g)
Protein:8.6g
Carbohydrate:60.3g
Fiber:4.1g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:1.8mg
Sodium:309mg
Calcium:44mg

French cooking@home
by cooking mania

Croissant French Toast With Fresh Strawberry Syrup

RECIPE

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 4 min. per batch

Yield
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
4 large day-old croissants
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Sweetened Whipped Cream (optional)
Fresh Strawberry Syrup

Preparation
Slice croissants in half lengthwise.

Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow dish. Dip croissant halves into egg mixture, coating well.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add four croissant halves, and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with Sweetened Whipped Cream, if desired, and Fresh Strawberry Syrup.

French cooking@home
by cooking mania

Peach French Toast

RECIPE

Yield
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 ripe yellow peaches, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup heavy cream
8 slices white or sourdough bread or brioche
3 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Confectioners' sugar

Preparation
In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter until it foams. Add the brown sugar and stir for 30 seconds. Add the peaches, raise heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cream and simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat oven to 200° F. Place 4 slices of the bread on a cutting board. Divide the peach mixture evenly among the slices, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Top with another slice of bread and press gently. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and cinnamon. Working in batches, soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture for 2 minutes per side. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry 2 sandwiches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches. Beat the remaining cream until soft peaks form. Halve each sandwich on the diagonal, sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, and serve with the whipped cream.

Tip: If you're using day-old bread to make the French toast, trim the crusts, which may have become tough.

Nutritional Information
Calories:504.5 (64% from fat)
Fat:36.12g (sat 20.71g)
Protein:10.17mg
Carbohydrate:36.2g
Fiber:1.97g
Cholesterol:260.05mg
Iron:2.81mg
Sodium:416.11mg
Calcium:140.25mg

French cooking@home
by cooking lover