My boys excitedly skip around the kitchen when they catch me whisking together cream cheese and jam. They search for the pan of heating oil then whoop in celebration. Stuffed French Toast must be on the menu! If I'm trying to score extra mom points, I'll blend up a batch of Smooth OJ, a domesticated version of an Orange Julius (recipe below).
Riece was a toddler when my friend Victoria introduced our family to her Stuffed French Toast. She helped her mom cook for guests lodging at their family-owned B&B nestled in beautiful Sisters, Oregon. Stuffed french toast was a guest favorite! Vic shared the recipe with me and over the years, it's become our family favorite, usually requested on special occasions or birthdays. When the boys were small, they attempted to help, thus the artistry on my recipe cards.
For 5 servings:
1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
*optional (Mel's twist to the recipe)- 1/2 tsp orange or almond extract
4 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup of jam (raspberry and strawberry are our family favorites but an orange marmalade or cranberry chutney would be fantastic, especially with the additional extracts added to the batter as suggested above!)
2 cups + canola oil (or other preferred frying oil)
1 loaf of thick sliced bread. I prefer the tang of sourdough but italian or french are scrumptious too.
Heat oil in a frying pan to 375 degrees. You'll want at least 3/4" of oil in the pan. If it starts smoking, remove it from heat and let it cool.
While the oil is heating, whisk together the flour and baking powder until blended. Add the milk, vanilla, egg and whisk until the mixture is well blended and frothy. A food processor or blender would work as well.
Microwave the cream cheese for 30 seconds or until extremely soft but not bubbling. Using a fork or small whisk, whip the cream cheese and jam together until well blended
Spread a couple heaping tablespoons of the jam mixture over a slice of bread. Top with a second slice as if making a sandwich. Dip it in the egg batter then flip it to coat both sides. Carefully place it into the hot oil. I use large serving forks to help with this.
As soon as the submerged part looks golden, carefully flip using a large slotted spatula and fork.
As soon as the second side is golden, remove the stuffed french toast from the hot oil and place it on a plate prepared with napkins to absorb extra oil. After it slightly cools, serve it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, lemon wedges, and hot syrup.
*Options:
Sprinkle it with granola and serve with yogurt.
Heat your preferred jam until it's hot and slightly bubbly. Add a bit of juice or water to make it a tad runnier and serve it as syrup.
Tip - Be sure to remove excess crumbs from the hot oil before placing the next french toast in or the crumbs will burn and your kitchen will fill with smoke.
Serve up with your favorite sides!
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| My boys love their french toast with hash brown cakes, potato sausage hash, sliced fruit, and juice. |
Smooth OJ
Yields 6 conservative servings
1 can orange juice concentrate (Dole orange juice blends are also scrumptious but won't have the same citrus kick - pineapple, strawberry, banana)
1 cup of water
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar (or Splenda!!!)
1 tsp vanilla
8-10 ice cubes (a couple pieces of complementary frozen fruit such as strawberries or banana chunks are yummy if you use a Dole juice blend)
Blend and serve!
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