Farm Bread French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

This is a special week at the Eckert House, we have a sweet little girl in our house who is celebrating her 11th birthday! Ella’s birthday falls on a school day so I wanted to plan a morning treat for her (and the rest of our family).  After perusing my freezer earlier this week, I was thrilled to discover 2 bags of frozen Eckert homegrown strawberries hiding in the back under the peaches! If you don’t have any strawberries hiding in your freezer from berry season (May in Illinois), be sure to select high quality frozen berries for this simple sauce. Our produce department at our Belleville Store has an exceptional brand of frozen fruits and vegetables called Nature’s Blessed. This brand is the next best thing to freezing your own pickings.

Mornings are hectic at our house so I made the sauce one evening while I was making dinner. It was simple enough to throw on the back burner and stir occasionally as I prepared our dinner. After we ate, my sauce was cool enough to process and store in the refrigerator. My recipe doesn’t call for much sugar because my berries were nice and ripe when I picked them. Be sure to taste your sauce and adjust the sugar if you like your sauces a little sweeter. It goes without saying around our house, but this sauce is also awesome on Eckert’s Frozen Custard.

Now for the morning work, on the day of Ella’s birthday, I literally made this French toast in 15 minutes. It is so very simple and can be made on the stove top or on an electric skillet. Eckert’s Farm Bread is nice and dense making it a perfect candidate for French Toast. I also used Amish free-range eggs and 2% milk. The resulting French Toast was definitely a hit with the Birthday Girl!

If you have a birthday or special holiday coming, give this French toast a try. Even if it is on a hectic weekday morning!

Eat well, Angie

Ingredients

French toast:

• 8 slices of Eckert’s Farm Bread
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• Dash of vanilla, optional
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar to taste

  Strawberry Sauce:
   

• 2 quarts of frozen whole Eckert’s strawberries
• ¾ cup water
• ½ to ¾ cup sugar

Instructions

1. For French Toast: In a medium bowl, scramble eggs, milk and vanilla if using. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, dip each of the four slices of bread in egg mixture for 30 seconds per side. Melt butter in skillet, place soaked bread slices in skillet and brown on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining four slices of bread.
2. For Strawberry Sauce: Place berries, water and sugar in a medium pot over medium heat. Allow strawberries to thaw and soften, stirring regularly for about 8-10 minutes. Once berries are softened, mash with a large spoon or potato masher. Cook strawberry sauce tover medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool strawberry sauce and process in a blender until smooth. Pour in a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
3. To serve, place two pieces of French toast and drizzle with strawberry sauce. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.