Food 7 years ago

Chloe's French Toast

Happy Friday everyone!!! I’ve got something super exciting to share with you today! I’ve been working on cooking up something very, very special for the past few months and I’m so happy to finally be able to share it with you all!

Some of you may know this already, but I don’t really enjoy cooking (forgive me?). Allen is the chef in the family and I think I’ve got the number of every take-out place within a 3-mile radius of my house programmed into my phone. But this year, I’ve taken it upon myself to make more of an effort to cook! There’s nothing like being invited over to someone’s home to enjoy a really good home cooked meal. That’s why I’m super excited to introduce you all to our FIRST EVER food contributor, The Taste SF! I had been on the hunt for a food contributor for over a year now and it wasn’t I until found Sarah from the Taste SF that I actually felt really good about launching a food contributor/connoisseur on The Chriselle Factor!

They have so many amazing recipes that even I can do (which means they’re easy enough), so I know you’re going to love it! I’m also taking it upon myself try and test out each of the recipes before they go live on the blog so I can get Chloe’s stamp of approval  Keep scrolling to read Sarah’s intro! I hope you all enjoy!

Hi, it’s Sarah from The Taste SF. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Chriselle and the CINC team to bring you culinary inspiration on The Chriselle Factor. We’re passionate about cooking, cocktails, and culinary travel experiences. We especially love fresh, seasonal recipes and easy entertaining, and we hate doing dishes. We’ve created these recipes especially for you! We know cooking can be intimidating at first, so we will be sharing recipes that are super-simple without sacrificing flavor– things that you could make for yourself on a weeknight at home, or to impress your friends and family on special occasions. Stick with us and you’ll be throwing dinner parties like a pro in no time.

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

1 loaf of challah bread, sliced into 1-inch slices (about 8-9 slices)
5 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier (SUB: orange juice or some orange zest OR VANILLA)
2 Tablespoons Butter, plus more as needed
1.5 Cups Ricotta
½ cup Powdered Sugar, plus extra for serving
1 pint of Strawberries
Mint, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170F.

Hull or cut the top off of the strawberries. Put the top side down on a cutting board and make thin slices of equal width downward through the entire strawberry so that you have 3-5 slices, depending on the size of the strawberry.

To make the whipped ricotta topping, combine the ricotta, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and ½ cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using a whisk, whip until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

To make the batter, combine the eggs, milk, Grand Marnier, and 1 Tablespoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to combine well until smooth.

Melt a small slice of butter (about ½ tablespoon) in a medium to large skillet over medium-low heat. The pan should be hot enough that the butter bubbles but does not brown. Test the temperature by dripping a little batter into the pan. It should begin cooking immediately but should not splatter.

Place 2-3 slices of bread into the batter for about 1 minute on each side, flipping once to coat both sides.  

Add the battered pieces of bread to the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Then flip and repeat on the second side. Remove toast from hot pan and place on baking sheet. Place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining slices. Repeat until all of the slices are cooked and only add extra butter if needed.

Serve warm and top with ricotta, berries, and mint sprigs. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

We hope you enjoy this French Toast recipe as much as we do. It’s perfect for any brunch, and so easy. We always prefer recipes that can be adapted for various seasons, so if you’re planning a brunch in the fall or winter when berries are not in season, and you still want to make french toast, just skip the berries. A little lemon zest grated on top of the ricotta topping would be the perfect way to brighten up a chilly morning!

Until next time, The Taste SF x

Credits:

Photos via The Taste SF