French Toast Paradise Style

One of my favorite things to do on a weekend morning is go to breakfast.  It doesn’t matter where.  Just the opportunity to get up and out on a gorgeous day to enjoy good food, company, and then go for a walk afterwards seems decadent at this time of year.  My husband’s nearing the end of his busy season, so months of hard work will be slowing down, allowing us to think about getting out and enjoying the weekends once again.

We’re fortunate, because there are a number of excellent places to enjoy a good breakfast within a five minute drive of our house, with the much needed walk afterwards including spectacular views of the Pacific Coast, complete with crashing waves, sea gulls, and a few palm trees thrown in for good measure.  As strange as it may seem, we don’t often take advantage of our proximity to this, and so have to remind ourselves to join the throngs of tourists who always seem to be present.  Surprisingly, it works quite well, and after indulging ourselves, we promise not to let too much time pass before we do it again.

It will definitely be something to look forward to with today being the last weekend morning that my husband will be going in to work.  And on days like today, that means that having a great breakfast at home is a close second — a breakfast inspired by Brockton Villa, one restaurant that is very near by.  It sits high above the water on a cliff in what used to be the old summer bungalow of a physician from Brockton, Massachusettes.  It’s open and airy and features a massive fireplace in the main room made with huge stones rounded by years of wear from running water and dotted with iridescent abalone shells.  It serves three meals a day and bustles with business all year long.  One of the more popular breakfast dishes served is the Coast Toast.  If you’re someone who enjoys French Toast, this would be one of the most rich versions I’ve tasted. Ironically, I’ve never eaten Coast Toast at the restaurant because they’ve graciously shared the recipe for years.

Although I’ve made Coast Toast many times, I’ve never quite been able to bring myself to include the 1 qt. of whipping cream the recipe requires.  Yes, I said 1 qt.  What makes this version of French Toast so tasty is that a souffle-like texture is achieved.  The toast is light, fluffy, and melts in your mouth.  As much as you may want to save it for a special occasion, serving it on a sunny weekend day will help to make an ordinary day feel quite special.

To view the original recipe, click the link above and scroll down.  And then consider my version as well.

Paradise Style French Toast

1 loaf good French Bread, sliced thick
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. half-n-half
6 eggs
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 T vanilla
2 T grand mariner

Berries

1 pt. fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
3 T brown sugar
splash of grand mariner

Cream

1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. mascarpone
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T powdered sugar

Combine all  ingredients and using a wire whip, mix well.  Place bread slices in one or more large baking pans and pour mixture over bread.

Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Prepare berries and cream, cover, and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and cover a baking sheet with silicone or parchment.

Heat a griddle or skillet and spray with pan oil.

Cook bread pieces until nicely browned on both sides and remove from skillet to the baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 7-8 minutes or until bread is puffy.

Serve with fruit and cream.

Go for a walk and enjoy the morning!

Notes:  It’s worth trying the original recipe just once by splitting the ingredients in half.  That way you’ll get the idea of the souffle texture the recipe is aiming for. Using French bread that is highly processed and "fluffy" doesn’t work well with this recipe.  It becomes entirely too soft and is difficult to work with.  Use an artesian bread with good structure that’s a day old, if possible.  With respect to the quantity of eggs and milk, I’ve played around with it depending on the ingredients I’ve had at home.  I’ve used whole milk instead of half-and-half, I’ve used only half-and-half, more eggs, fewer eggs…it depends primarily on how many people will be eating.  I use about 1 egg per person in the mix.  Ultimately, the batter needs to be rich and thick, but only as much as will soak up into the bread since the excess is discarded.  Orange extract works well with this, but so does Triple Sec and Cointreau.  Experiment with the flavors you enjoy.  Add nuts, or cinnamon, bananas, maple syrup, or whatever strikes your fancy. If you’re in the mood to bump up the decadence, then smear on some cream cheese or mascarpone before you top with berries.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Definitely not diet food.

Tagged as: Berries