Savory French Toast with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Cherry Tomato and Basil Topping:
- 1 Cup Cherry tomatoes, washed and quartered
- 2 Large cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ Cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or hand torn
- ¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Savory French Toast:
- 6 Large organic eggs (I like Araucana with green shells)
- 1 Cup (a couple of generous handfuls) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to garnish
- 1 Cup half-and-half or heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon freshly stripped thyme leaves
- Freshly grated or ground nutmeg, about â…› Teaspoon or to taste
- Salt
- Pepper
- 8 Slices (½ to ¾ inch thick) stale, good-quality white peasant or Italian bread
- 4 Tablespoon butter
Shopping List
- Cherry tomatoes
- Garlic
- Basil
- Eggs
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Heavy cream
- Thyme
- Ground nutmeg
- Italian bread
- Butter
Instructions
- In a clean bowl, place Cherry tomatoes, crushed garlic, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to allow the flavors to bloom.
- Preheat the oven to 200°. In a shallow bowl or dish, whisk the eggs, cheese, half-and-half, thyme and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium. Working with 2 slices of bread at a time, soak the bread in the egg mixture, about 20 seconds on each side. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in the griddle for each batch of French toast; lift the bread from the dish and let the excess egg batter drain. Cook the toast until it is deeply golden on each side and springs back when pressed with your finger, about 2 minutes per side. Place in the oven or tent with foil to keep warm.
- To serve, place savory French toast on plates, spoon over Cherry tomato and basil mixture and top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.