#79 - Super-Stuffed French Toast

We watch a lot of Food Network. One show we kind of watch (Johnny didn't watch this season) is The Next Food Network Star. The first season that we watched ended up with Aaron McCargo, Jr. winning his own show, Big Daddy's House. We watched the premier, and thought that one of his breakfast recipes sounded pretty good. It only took us three years to try it out ourselves.

Super-Stuffed French Toast

From Big Daddy's House So this is a French toast recipe, but before pan frying them, you take two slices, put some fruit filling in between them, and make a little sandwich. We have canned cherries and apples, the stuff usually used for filling pies. So, you start off with the usual French toast ingredients - eggs, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. But before dipping that bread, make a little pocket, and fill with the fruit. Then you dip the whole thing in the egg wash, cook on a griddle. and top with some powdered sugars.These were a nice new breakfast option for us, as we've never made French toast before. But except for the filling, which kinda got lost in the middle, the French toast weren't as sweet as we would have liked. So maybe having a different recipe for the toast but keeping the fruit filling would work a little better. Do you have what it takes to cook like Big Daddy?

Ingredients

• 6 jumbo eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbs vanilla
• 2 Tbs ground cinnamon, plus more for topping
• Salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 12 slices brioche bread, about 1/2-inch thick
• 6 oz apple pie filling
• 6 oz cherry pie filling
• Cooking spray
• Powdered sugar, for topping

Preparation

1. Preheat griddle pan over medium heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and sugar until well combined.
3. Lay 6 slices of the bread out and lightly brush egg mixture around the edges.
4. Press a "pocket" in the middle of each slice of bread for the filling.
5. Heap 2 Tbs of apple or cherry pie filling in the middle of each bread pocket.
6. Take the remaining 6 slices of bread and brush the edges with egg mixture.
7. Place pieces of top of the bread with filling and seal the edges with the fingers.
8. Dip stuffed bread in the egg mixture and place on sprayed griddle.
9. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned.
10. Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar.