French Toast with Ricotta, Banana and Blueberries

Childhood Favourite!

I don’t think there is anything better than French toast for Sunday breakfast, now more than ever as it’s snowing in Dublin at the moment and Mr EH requested this particular dish to warm him up. Thick slices of bread, soaked in a mixture of beaten eggs with milk, toasted in a frying pan, and served with fresh fruit, ricotta and honey. This has to be one of my favorite’s. It works best with several day old Italian bread, thickly sliced. Fresh bread, or bread that has been sliced too thin tends to get mushy and fall apart when soaked in the egg milk mixture.

One of my favoured variations to the fruity and sweet recipe is doing it Balkan style, like my family still do it. The French toast is the centerpiece, usually accompanied by an array of sides- fetta cheese, olives, cured meats, tomatoes and Natural (greek) yoghurt. A French toast antipasto, if you like.

I get a little nostalgic when I cook this dish as the smell of the toasting bread in the pan transports me to happy childhood memories, sitting around the dining table. Not only is this a staple in my family, it was a favourite at the cafe my family owned. In this recipe I used banana and blueberries as that’s all I had in my kitchen. You can use fresh berries or stewed fruit and maple syrup.

I hope it becomes a favourite in your home, if it isn’t already!

Ingredients:

8 thick slices of white bread (2-day-old, preferably)

3 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

300g fresh Ricotta cheese

2 bananas

100g blueberries (or strawberries)

sprinkle of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of honey, plus extra for drizzling

Sunflower or vegetable oil

Directions:

Beat eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. Whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl.

Mix the ricotta with the honey and set aside.

Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, until they are completely coated. Pour the oil into a large frying pan (enough to cover the base) on medium-high heat.  Add as many slices onto the pan as will fit at a time. Fry until golden brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

Remove from the pan and keep the slices warm while you finish the rest. Top with the ricotta and fruit and drizzle with honey. Serves 4.