The Craving Weekend

This past weekend was really about what I've been craving.  I usually try and cook according to what I think hubby will like or want but this weekend I planned according to what I have been wanting.  But for now let's start with Sunday breakfast.  I am over 40 and have NEVER had stuffed french toast.  Weird right?  Not so much.  When you come from a family of 5 kids, a set of parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and friends staying over there is always LOTS of food to be made.  So when cooking for so many sometimes you were lucky to get one piece of french toast. *laughs*  Hubby did the cooking but we did the prep together.  When asked what he wanted he didn't know because his thought was "we've had everything".  I think that's how they think.  So he wanted to make cherry pancakes.  We just has decadent waffles last weekend, I'm thinking no.  So I said you haven't made french toast in a while.  That was another thing hubby came into the relationship with.  Being able to cook french toast well, regular french toast.  I changed THAT quick.  I'm all about the flavor.  And flavor we do.  So since he wanted cherries, what to make.  Part my idea, part his, part internet research to figure out how to do it.  French toast stuffed with a Nutella cherry strawberry ricotta mascarpone filling.  We had some of the butter rum syrup left so we decided that would do.  I KNOW it sounds like a lot of flavors but they all work SO well together.

Nutella cherry strawberry stuffed french toast recipe
Loaf of french bread cut into 6 - 7 2 inch pieces
5 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract 
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Butter


Filling
1/4 Cup Ricotta
1/4 Mascarpone, room temperature
1/2 Cup Cherries, quartered and pitted
1/2 Cup Strawberries, sliced
1 Tablespoon sugar
Nutella
Combined the ricotta, mascarpone, cherries, strawberries, and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a flat bowl, big enough to drench your french toast, whisk together eggs, milk. extract, and cinnamon.
Slice bread in 2 inch wide pieces.  CAREFULLY make slits little less end to end about 3/4 the way down.  Do not go through the bread.
Take as much or as little of the nutella and spread on each side of the bread.  
Take about 2 tablespoons of the filled and stuff in pocket.
Heat skillet with a little butter, dip/drench stuffed bread in egg mixture.
Cook on all three sides, bottom counts as a side, until golden brown about 2 - 3 minutes.  Serve with extra of the fresh fruit or top with syrup of your choice.  
We used the left over butter rum syrup (July 22nd, 2012 Busy Day Brunch to Dinner).


Definitely something to try again.  Thinking maybe just bananas and nuts next time.  Chocolate dipped fruit, what can be better.  You can use regular cream cheese, I just find that mascarpone is less tangy than regular cream cheese.  Use whatever fruit you like.  Skip the nutella.  The possibilities are endless.  Try it this weekend.  Let me know what and how you did.  Us trying to out do that is going to be hard.  Remember the best ingredient is you ... Enjoy!