French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Cream Cheese

This is a stuffed French toast recipe of my own creation. I used graham cracker crumbs in the breading mixture to add additional flavor, color, and texture to the product.

Ingredients:

Egg wash:
1 egg
some milk – about 1/4 cup (use more as needed)

Breading:
Graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tablespoons
sprinkle of sugar, 1 teaspoons
all-purpose flour, 4 Tablespoons (or more as needed)

Bread:
2 slices of white bread, preferably slightly stale

Stuffing:
Cream cheese, as needed
2 strawberries, roughly chopped

Garnish:
whipped cream
Strawberry
Strawberry syrup as needed
confectionery sugar

Oil
Enough cooking oil to coat the bottom of the pan along with a pat of butter

Equipment:

Breading plate, shallow bowl for eggwash, frying pan, spatula, small mesh strainer, sharp paring knife, serrated knife, cutting board, serving plate.

Procedure:

1) Heat the pan to medium high.

2) Crack the egg into the shallow bowl. Beat the egg. Add the milk. Beat the mixture.

3) Measure out the ingredients needed for the breading plate. Mix them together.

4) Roughly chop the strawberries and mix them with enough cream cheese to coat a slice of bread. (Do not coat the bread at this time)

5) Fan the strawberry garnish.
http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=49&id=630

6) Dip a slice of bread into the egg wash mixture. Coat both sides. Dip the bread into the flour mixture. Coat the bread on both sides. For a thick French toast, double dip. After coating the bread, dip it back into the egg wash and add a 2nd coat of flour.

7) Add the pat of butter to your hot pan. Carefully place the French toast in the pan. Cook it until it’s golden brown on the bottom. Flip it over and cook the other side. Remove the French toast and put it on a cutting board.

8. Repeat step 5 with the other slice of bread. Fry the second piece of French toast. (You may need to refresh the oil).

9) Spread the cream cheese and strawberry mixture on a piece of French toast. Top it with the remaining piece of French toast.

10) Slice the French toast diagonally from corner to corner with a serrated knife. Do not press down with the knife. Cut the toast with a sawing motion. (Pressing down will squish the French toast).

11) Drizzle strawberry syrup onto the serving plate into a pleasing pattern. The object is not to coat the plate with strawberry syrup. The purpose of doing this is two fold. The strawberry syrup is a colorful and decorative accent. It’s also tasty and will complement your French toast.

Keep in mind that the French toast will be arranged in the center of the plate and this will obscure some of the syrup.
I like to upend the bottle of strawberry syrup and make quick zig-zags across the plate. Keep the syrup off the rim of the plate.

12) Place the French toast on the plate. One piece can be centered. The other piece can partially lie on top of the lower piece to create vertical height.

13) Put some confectionery sugar in the fine mesh strainer and sprinkle sugar over the French toast.

14) Pipe some whipped cream onto the side and add the fanned strawberry garnish.

15) Serve immediately and enjoy!