French Toast with Vanilla Cream Cheese Filling and Blueberry Sauce

3 Comments

This morning I wanted to make something a little different for breakfast; something a bit fancier than usual. Throughout the week, my boyfriend and I normally just have toast for breakfast. Pretty…pretty…pretty….boring. [Curb Your Enthusiasm reference] Since I had a little extra time this morning, I thought I’d make something a bit more indulgent. My first thought was to make french toast. But that did not seem too sinful. Enter some rich cream cheese with pure vanilla and sweet cinnamon mixed in. The cream cheese filling really brought the french toast to a new level. The blueberry sauce was just a nice summery addition.

Do you have a favourite breakfast item to make on the weekends when/if you are not so rushed? If so, please share in the comments. Would love to hear what weekend traditions you have :)



Ingredients

  • 4 ounces of light cream cheese; room temperature
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of icing sugar (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of pecans; chopped (optional)
  • 8 pieces of whole grain bread
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of fresh blueberries; rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon of water
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon of white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
  • oil or butter for pan

Method


1. In a medium sauce pan, cook the blueberries, water and sugar. Allow them to simmer for about 5 minutes; or until the blueberries start to burst. Whisk in cornstarch and lemon juice. Allow mixture to simmer on low until french toast is ready to be served.


2. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with the icing sugar, vanilla extract and the cinnamon. Mix in the chopped pecans if using. Note: I used 2 tablespoons of icing sugar in the filling and it was quite sweet. Depending on your taste, you might like to use a little less sugar in the filling.


3. In a second small bowl, mix the egg with the milk and 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.


4. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of butter or canola oil. 


5. Spread the vanilla cream cheese filling on top of 4 slices of whole grain bread. With the remaining slices, cover the filling (as if you were making a grilled cheese sandwich). Gently dip both sides of “sandwich” in the egg/milk mixture. Once lightly coated, place bread down in the hot frying pan. Allow the bread to toast until golden brown on the first side, flip, and toast the second side.


6. Serve with blueberry sauce over top.


Source: loosely adapted from Canadian Living Magazine

S’more Pie

2 Comments

On Sunday I posted about the family movie night I attended where I served this amazing s’more pie. And, as promised, here is the incredibly easy recipe for the deliciously gooey pie. Creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate reminiscent of dark chocolate truffles topped with sweet marshmallow cream toasted until crisp yet still messy & gooey. Mmmmm! You cannot go wrong serving this pie during a late summer BBQ. It’s a sure hit; the perfect summer indulgence. Enjoy!

Ingredients
  • 7 ounces of bittersweet (60%) baking chocolate
  • 1 cup of cream (35%)
  • 1 large egg; at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of fine salt
  • 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter; melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350’F.

2. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and the unsalted butter. Using a fork, mash the crumbs until they are well coated with butter. Press the mixture into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Allow crust to cool.

3. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate; allow to stand for 30 seconds. Whisk until combined.

4. Whisk in egg, vanilla and salt. Note: make sure the chocolate mixture is not too hot when you add the egg, or you’ll get scrambled eggs in your chocolate mixture!

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared crust. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes; or until softly set around the edges but still loose in the centre when shaken. Cool for 1 hour on a wire rack.

To Serve: Preheat broiler. Spread marshmallow creme on the pie. Broil the tart for 30 seconds to a minute; or until the top is golden brown.

Source: Vegetarian Times Magazine: 2011 Farmer’s Market Edition

Summer Movie Night

1 Comment

This past weekend, my entire family got together at my grandparents’ place to watch Vacation – a family favourite. My aunt thought it would be fun to project the movie on to the garage door while we all lounged on lawn chairs in the drive way, had LOTS of snacks, and watched the movie. What a great idea! It turned out to be one of the best evenings I’ve had in a long time. The weather was perfect. The company was awesome. The treats were delicious! And the laughs were so welcomed. We all had a chuckle during a scene in the movie when we realized we were projecting a naked woman on the side of grandpa’s garage for the whole neighbourhood to see. *hah* Everyone had forgotten there was a short nude scene in the movie Vacation. It was too funny!


Everyone brought delicious treats to our family movie night. I totally overindulged! There was fresh buttery popcorn in cute little popcorn bags, lots of candy such as Twizzlers, Nerds, Runts and mini chocolate bars. My grandma also provided various types of potato chips and lots of tasty drinks. My uncle brought hot dogs with all of the fixings. My contribution was a homemade S’more Pie (recipe to be posted on Wednesday). Hopefully we will make this an annual event. It was a great way to spend a warm summer evening. Hope you all had a great weekend too!