Grown-up French Toast with Strawberries in a Honey Balsamic Reduction
I'm a huge fan of French Toast but while sometimes I like to slather on the butter and drench it in maple syrup, sometimes I want something more refined, something more grown-up. We sought to incorporate a range of flavors besides just sweet - because French Toast at your local diner can be so cloying.
While the French Toast aspect of this recipe is pretty standard, maybe a little extra salt than usual, maybe a finer grade of cinnamon, and using a nice, hearty whole wheat from Nature's Pride; it is the toppings that make these golden brown slices pop.
We begin with a balsamic and honey reduction with which we toss over fresh strawberries and allow them to macerate. This lets the strawberries soften a bit and in return they give off a lot of their juices, thus making our "syrup."
We toasted up some slivered almonds to give some crunch, because in my opinion, texture is a big miss with your average soggy French Toast. Lastly, we added some uber-thick Greek-style yogurt for some richness, color contrast, and adding another component to customize each bite.
What we came up with takes a little bit more time but the result is something that the adults can enjoy as much as the kids, and they can feel better that the little "nose-miners" are getting something with much nutritional value than usual.
Grown-up French Toast with Strawberries in a Honey Balsamic Reduction (printable recipe)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 pound strawberries, sliced thin
- 8 slices of whole wheat bread, we used Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of butter.
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1 cup of Greek-style yogurt
Add the vinegar and the honey to a pot over medium heat and reduce by about a half or until you see that the bubbles start to thicken. Pour the reduction over the strawberries, you should have to use a spatula to get it out because it is so thick. Toss well over the strawberries and set aside.
Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk to a large flat-bottomed container - one that is wide enough to dip your bread into. Whip these together so that everything is incorporated well.
Dip the bread in the egg mixture on both sides so that it soaks up the batter. Using a non-stick pan, bring it to medium heat with a little butter just until the butter foams. Add the battered bread ad cook on both sides until they are golden brown.
Top 2 slices with a few tablespoons of the strawberries along with some of the juice they gave off, a dollop of the yogurt, and a sprinkle of the toasted slivered almonds. Serve piping hot.
Serves 4
This was part of a promotion with the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a loaf of Nature's Pride bread.