Ricotta-Stuffed French Toast

My favourite meal of the day is breakfast. I love eggs and how versatile they are. I love them fried, scrambled, baked, poached, sunny-side up, benedict, florentine, but most of all soft. I usually prefer savoury breakfast dishes over sweet ones. Anyone who knows me knows what a salt fiend I am...thank goodness for my low blood pressure! Occasionally however, I am curious about the sweeter side of the menu...so I came across a recipe of French Toast stuffed with ricotta cheese that I just had to try:

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mixed berries
1/4 cup sugar

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2/3 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup strawberry jam

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3 large eggs
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

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12 slices French bread or Texas toast (1/2" to 3/4" thick)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, butter or margarine

Directions
1. Combine berries and sugar in small bowl, set aside.

2. Combine ricotta cheese and strawberry preserves in another small bowl and mix well.

3. Combine the eggs, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla in a deep-dish pie plate or shallow bowl and mix well.

4. Spread ricotta preserve mixture evenly over 6 slices of bread.

5. Top with remaining slices of bread to form a sandwich. Press the outer edges together slightly with a fork to keep the filling in place.

6. Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides.

7. Cook each side about 2 minutes till golden brown.

8. Serve this French toast with butter, maple syrup, a spoonful of the sugared berries, and a dusting of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar).

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When I made this recipe, I made a few adjustments to make things easier. I didn't have fresh berries on hand so I eliminated those as well as substituted skim milk for evaporated milk. Instead of just dipping the sandwich into the egg mixture, I let it soak for a few minutes on each side. In the end, the final product was quite decadent. As I prefer salt to sugar, I found it to be too sweet for my personal tastes but I have a certain soon-to-be diabetic friend who would love this dish. For myself, I might not mix jam in with the ricotta stuffing next time in attempt to lessen the sweet factor.

The recipe was found at:
http://www.breakfast-and-brunch-recipes.com/stuffedfrenchtoast.html