strawberry cheesecake stuffed French toast

Last week the first NJ strawberries of the season made their debut!  Fresh, firm, and even a little sweet.  What a wonderful gift after the long winter and slow beginning to Spring.

At first my husband and I simply ate them.  Cleaned and plain.  They were delicious.  So fresh and new.  But, as usual, I bought a few more than we could eat in one sitting. They are delicate and need to be eaten soon after purchase.  And, we were out of ice cream!

What do do?

Strawberry cheesecake stuffed French toast!  Quick, easy, and my grandsons were available as lunch time tasters (don’t limit yourself…this is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!)

Ingredients to make 2 sandwiches (expand …double, triple.. as you wish):
1 cup cleaned and diced strawberries
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
sliced bread
butter
2 eggs (optional:  add 1/8 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and/or 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon…add any or all of these options to the eggs….better yet, call your Mom, ask her what she added….then invite her over for brunch…moms love impromptu brunch!).

Directions:

Make the strawberry cheesecake filling by combining the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl….set aside to draw out the sweetness and juice of the berries..BUT if your berries are very sweet…skip the sugar in this step).  Then in a small bowl mix the whipped cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Fold in 1/2 cup of strawberries.

Make the stuffed French toast by spreading the cream cheese mixture onto a slice of bread.  Place another slice of bread on top, pressing down to make a sandwich.  Repeat until all the stuffed French toasts have been made.  Remember the measurements above make two.

In a shallow bowl, beat eggs.  Place stuffed French toasts into the eggs (or egg mixture).  Carefully flip over so both sides get coated with eggs.

Melt about one tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Place dipped French toasts in the saute’ pan and fry lightly in the melted butter until lightly golden.

Spoon remaining strawberries on top of each French toast…serve with maple syrup or whipped cream.

By the way…grandsons and daughter loved them!

Strawberries from Fruitwood Farms and Muth Organic Farm
Bread from Amber Grains and Wildflower Bakery
Butter from Hillacres Pride