Stuffed French Toast (Recipe)

 

Ingredients

10 1 1/2-inch-thick slices French bread

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 10-ounce jar apricot jam or orange mermalade

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon

Margarine, butter or cooking oil

Maple-flavored syrup or maple syrup (optional)

Steps

1. Using a serrated knife,carefully cut a pocket in the middle of each bread slice, cutting 3/4 of the way through.

2. Spread the cream cheese and jam or marmalade in each of the prepared pockets, dividing the full amount of both among the slices.

3. Place the stuffed slices, cut sides down, in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

4. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla ant nutmeg or cinnamon.

5. Pour half of the egg mixture over the slices and let stand until the bread has absorbed the mixture.  Turn the slices over and pour the remaining egg mixture over the slices.  Let stand until all of the egg mixture has been absorbed by the bread slices.

6. In a large skillet or on a griddle over medium heat, cooked the stuffed bread in a small amount of hot margarine, butter or cooking oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Add more margarine, butter or cooking oil as needed.  Serve with syrup, if desired.

Tips:

If you prepare to cook all the slices at once, try baking them.  Place the soaked bread on greased baking sheet.  Bake in a 450c oven for 7 minutes.  Turn the bread and bake 8 minutes more or until golden.

If desired, used reduced-fat cream cheese, skim milk and reduced-calorie syrup.

It may seem like the bread is stuffed with a lot of filling, but it won't be too much after the bread slices cook.

Pure maple syrup can be quite expensive because of the labor-intensive process involved in producing it.  Maple flavored syrup is less expensive because it is a combination of a less costly syrup, such as corn syrup, and a small amount of maple syrup.  Pure maple syrup has a more subtle maple flavor, is thinner and is not as sweet as maple flavored syrup.