My daughter is home this Easter long weekend from university. She has a very busy and fun-filled weekend planned with her family as well as with her friends here at home. I haven't had the opportunity to spoil her since Christmas so she has been plied with many delicious treats so far. Since I am all about spoiling and overabundance I couldn't resist this blueberry stuffed version of French toast. Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits and full of antioxidants...so therefore very heart healthy and good for you as well. This recipe comes from Lisa of Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen . Usually my stuffed French toast lists cream cheese or mascarpone as an ingredient. This recipe utilizes Canadian maple syrup as the sweetener and the cream cheese is not missed at all. The only change I made was to use strawberries in place of the blood oranges Lisa used which I already had on hand.We had this yesterday for brunch. Today we are taking a different route and going to a well known East Indian restaurant for brunch and then having a BBQ for dinner. Health and happiness to you all.
**Blueberry Stuffed French Toast with Blueberry Orange Sauce**
French toast:
butter
6 eggs
1 tsp grated orange peel
2/3 cup orange juice
3 T maple syrup
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained, if frozen)
8 slices Italian bread, 1-1/4 inches thick
1/3 cup sliced almonds
**Blueberry-Orange Sauce**
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 oranges, peeled and divided into sections (Lisa used blood oranges; I used strawberries)
3 T maple syrup
1 T cornstarch
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Preheat oven to 400ยบ and grease a large baking sheet with a generous layer of butter.Whisk together the eggs in a medium bowl with the orange peel, orange juice and 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup until well blended. Pour into a 13×9-inch baking pan and set aside.In a small bowl combine blueberries and the remaining 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a 1-1/2-inch wide pocket in the side of each bread slice. Fill the pockets with the blueberry mixture, dividing evenly.Place the filled slices in the egg mixture. Let stand on each side for 5 minutes to absorb the egg mixture. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, and then turn over the slices to bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the blueberry-orange sauce by bringing the orange juice and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the blueberries and orange sections and bring to a boil again. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the juice is released from the fruit. Stir in the maple syrup and cornstarch, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another couple of minutes or until the sauce thickens. Reduce to a simmer until the french toast is baked.
Serve the french toast slices warm covered with hot blueberry-orange sauce.
