The one with new French Toast

Today, as I went to eat my breakfast, I was faced with the challenge of under-ripe Bosc pears. I was so dismayed because all I wanted was their sugar-textured sweetness; yet alas, they were green & hard. In a moment of improvisational brilliance, I decided to finely slice them & throw then into a pan with a tbs of butter. As their flesh slowly broke down & became more familiar, I added a generous tbs of dark brown sugar & allowed them to continue to cook down. Looking around my kitchen for an accompany, I spotted some day-old bread & quickly whipped up an amaretto French Toast base. I also found some slivered almonds & stirred them in with the pears. Six slices of baguette quickly turned into six fluffy slices of French Toast. I overlapped three slices & spooned on a generous portion of what had become a caramelized pear & almond syrup -- then I repeated the process. :)

The still slightly structured pears contrasted perfectly against the fluffy French Toast & caramelized almonds. From having cooked down it provided a perfect ratio of syrupy sweetness to doughy toast. A fully satisfying & indulgent breakfast!

The one with French Toast

I LOVE breakfast! It's a feel-good meal which energizes, sets the tone for the rest of the day, and brings me back to childhood. Most mornings I'm in a hurry to get out the door & have either a quick omelet or some fruit; Saturday mornings are different though; I go all out! It is the perfect day to put a pot of water to boil for tea & make a nice BIG breakfast! Whether that be home-fries with onion & peppers paired with eggs, pancakes with warm strawberries, fresh made scones or banana bread, or my favorite -- French Toast!

Tea is generally underrated, some of my favorites include ginger, white chai, & jasmine -- Teavana of course!

Ginseng Vitality Rooibos Tea, Lemon Pomegranate Tea, Jasmine pearls, White Ayurvedic Chai

I like to think that I've perfected my French Toast recipe:

V's Perfect French Toast

Sour dough bread - sliced thin & left out overnight to dry out

4 egg whites

tsp vanilla

1/2 c. skim milk

splash Disaronno

Cinnamon

Nutella

Beat together egg whites, vanilla, milk, and Disaronno. Heat a cast-iron pan & lightly pour in some extra virgin olive oil (pat off excess with paper towel). Soak the bread well, about 30 seconds, in the mixture before placing on the hot pan, sprinkle top with cinnamon. Allow to cook until carmelized on botton, you'll know because the top will begin to try & it will not stick to the pan. Flip & allow to finish cooking. I find small medalions work well, I really like the sourdough from Panera Bread! Place on plade, spread with a small dollop of Nutella, & layer (3 is optimum).

The wonderful hint of orange in the Disaronna pairs marvelously well with Nutella's hazlenut-chocolately smoothness while the soft sourdough absorbs & blends it all so well!

The perfect start to any day, take time to enjoy this one!