ARF/5-A-Day #126

It seems I’ve been inadvertently working my way through some of Sunny Anderson’s recipes from her Food Network show, Cooking for Real.  A long weekend at the shore, celebrating the Fourth of July holiday, provided the perfect opportunity to try her French Toast with Caramelized Pecans, Strawberries and Cream.  Although it has a few components to pull it together, I managed to get it from inception to completion in about 30 minutes, half of which was spent while keeping Madeline busy in her high chair (yes, high chair!  can you believe we’re at that stage already?!).

Oh my gosh, it rivals the Creme Brulee French Toast we had recently.  So, so good.  The caramelized pecans were sweet and crunchy, similar to the kind that you sometimes find in salads.  Tasty even while munching alone, I loved them on the french toast.  And the fresh strawberry topping?  Two ingredients and delish.  I could totally see putting it over ice cream as well.  I could probably be convinced to skip the cream topping, but the recipe works either with or without it.  Another winner from Sunny, it will definitely make repeat appearances in our house.  With the fresh strawberries, it’s the perfect contribution to tonight’s ARF/5-A-Day round-up.  You’ll have to forgive the lack of a picture though.  Although I took several, one was worse than the next (you can check out her picture on this Food Network page).

Onto what everyone else made…

Charise from More Bread and Cheese, Please relives some vacation memories with a lightened-up version of Corn Chowder:

Claire from Cooking is Medicine keeps the kitchen cool with her Easy Summer Salad:

Sarah from What Smells So Good is back this week, full of cheesy goodness with her Spicy Herbed Cauliflower Cheese:

Patsy from Family, Friends and Food closes us out with her family-friendly Peanut Butter and Banana Delight:
 

French Toast with Caramelized Pecans, Strawberries and Cream
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 (1-1/2-inch thick) slices stale brioche (I used French bread)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar

Special equipment: food processor

In a medium bowl, mix together strawberries and 1/2 cup of sugar. Set aside.  In a food processor, blend together heavy cream, cream cheese and 1 tablespoon sugar until thick and creamy (mixed by hand instead).

In a baking dish, whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Place bread slices in pan and soak on each side until well coated and soaked through. In a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Remove and drain the bread slices and cook until golden turning once, about 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, add the pecans, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter. Stir until sugar has melted and pecans are coated and sticky. Serve French toast with dollop of cream, sticky pecans and strawberries.