135 Very Berry French Toast

It’s not quite summer yet, I know. In fact, it’s not even spring. But what to do when you wake up craving something summery, something that would bring back the sun, or at least a memory of the warm summer sun, into the kitchen? What’s more fruity than berries, I thought, and went on to create my (now favourite) no waste breakfast: Very Berry French Toast, as I called it.

Don’t know about you, but I often find it that there is plenty of leftover bread in the kitchen. It’s probably due to the fact, that there are five of us living here (that’s without the two dogs and 8 chickens), and so it’s sometimes difficult to estimate how much bread to buy. And since bread in Poland is kinda big deal (there’s even a separate word for a slice of bread, that applies only and exclusively to bread: kromka), it’s often bought daily and freshly baked, rendering yesterday’s bread leftovers useless. Since I can remember my mum used to upcycle old bread into breadcrumbs: the sight of bread rolls drying on the radiators in the winter is something I remember with sentiment. How much breadcrumbs a household needs though? Not as much as there is leftover bread, I’m afraid.

So here’s my solution (first of a few): make french toast! The kids seem to love it, it’s (relatively) nutritious, and it’s a treat for those who enjoy a sweet breakfast with their black coffee in the morning (yup, that’s me). Add some cottage cheese, flavoured (and tinted!) with frozen bilberries, a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of yoghurt, sprinkle of cinnamon and voila – you just served yourself a cafe-style breakfast, that is not only delicious, but also cheap and eco friendly. A truly feel-good breakfast recommends itself for Tuesday morning!

VERY BERRY FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients
few slices of stale bread (sweet breads like challah are also OK)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2tsp brown sugar
pinch of salt
1tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
cottage cheese
frozen berries: bilberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry
2tsp honey
1 small natural yoghurt
butter for frying

How to make?
1. Add the cottage cheese into a bowl, together with a handful of frozen bilberries (or any other berries) and 2tsp of honey. Mash with a fork until well combined and evenly coloured.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a plate or shallow bowl. Dip bread slices (one or two at a time) into the egg mixture and coat them well with the egg&milk mixture. Don’t soak the bread slices for too long!
3. Melt butter in a frying pan. Place bread slices in the frying pan and cook on medium heat until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Assemble the toasts: place one ready french toast on a plate, spread some of the cottage cheese, add come berries and cover with another slice of ready french toast. Add a dollop of yoghurt on top, some more berries, sprinkle with cinnamon and a tiny bit of extra sugar.
5. All done! Enjoy your sweet breakfast!