French Toast Sticks

This week we are channeling our inner child with French toast sticks! The extra surface area achieved when preparing French toast sticks brings twice the flavor while enrobing wonderfully custardy insides. Their handy shape means they are destined for easy dipping, serving, and sharing with the whole family. Good Morning!

Cinnamon-Sugar French Toast Sticks
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large loaf bread (such as a brioche or Italian loaf that’s 3-4 days old)
3 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons salted butter, divided

For Serving:
Pure Maple syrup
Seasonal berries

Directions:
1. Trim the crust off of the bread and slice it into equally-sized strips, roughly 1" thick.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla, salt, and allspice. Pour the mixture in a shallow bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Spread the mixture out on a medium-sized plate.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-large skillet.

4. Separate the bread sticks into two even batches. Starting with the first batch, dredge the bread sticks one at a time in the egg mixture by rolling them for a few seconds to evenly coat the bread all the way around. Shake off any excess egg mixture.

5. Place a few of the sticks of bread into the skillet, spacing them evenly, with about 1" in between (this spacing will make them easy to grab and turn). Cook the French toast sticks over medium-low heat using tongs to turn. Cook evenly until all sides are golden brown (roughly 1-2 minutes on each side).

6. Immediately remove the sticks from the pan and coat with the cinnamon and sugar while the French toast sticks are still hot, repeating until all of the sticks from the first batch are coated.

7. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and repeat Steps 4-6 with the remaining sticks.

8. Once all the French toast sticks have been cooked and coated, serve immediately with warm maple syrup and fresh seasonal berries.

Sweet Biscuit Strawberry Shortcakes

One of our favorite ways to enjoy fresh strawberries is as strawberry shortcake -- the biscuit kind, not the cake kind. We grew up with this treat, so its seasonal comeback revives all kinds of wonderful memories in addition to all the great tastes! In this recipe, chopped strawberries are added to the biscuit dough, which makes the biscuits sweeter, and the biscuit color a lovely shade of pink! 

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Sweet Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake
Makes 8-10 shortcakes

SWEET STRAWBERRY BISCUITS:
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 pint strawberries (1 cup, finely chopped)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk 
4 tablespoons butter, melted

STRAWBERRY FILLING:
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

WHIPPED CREAM INGREDIENTS:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper. 

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and lemon zest. Add the chopped strawberries, gently stirring to distribute. 

3. In large bowl, stir together the milk and buttermilk. Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture and stir a couple of times until barely combined.

4. Pour in the melted butter and continue to fold in until combined. Do not over mix. It will be a coarse dough, and rather sticky. 

5. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in 8 equal portions. Bake biscuits for 18-20 minutes, or until baked through and the top and edges begin to turn golden brown. Cool on the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

6. While the biscuits are baking, prepare the strawberries by hulling and slicing. Combine the citrus juices and honey in a small bowl, whisk until the honey is dissolved. 

7. Pour the honey-sweetened juice over the sliced strawberries and toss to evenly coat the berries. Let the sweetened strawberries stand and macerate while the biscuits bake.

8. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Split the biscuits and add a layer of strawberries. Add the biscuit top, and place a generous dollop of whipped cream.

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Cream Puffs with Berries

Expanding your repertoire of kitchen skills these days? Add cream puffs to your list of culinary mastery while celebrating the return of fresh berries. The light, delicate, cream puffs with sweet berry filling are perfect for Mother’s Day, too! This recipe starts with a classic French pâte à choux and finishes things off with bright, jammy berries, and homemade whipped cream.

Cream Puffs with Sweet Berry Cream Filling
Makes 24 petite cream puffs

Cream Puff Shell Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
6 eggs

Berry Filling Dressing:
1 package (10 oz) raspberries, fresh or frozen 1/4 cup reserved
1 package (10 oz) package blackberries, fresh or frozen, 1/4 cup reserved
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a 3 quart saucier pan, bring the water, milk, and butter to a boil. Add the salt and sugar and stir until dissolved.

3. Remove the pan from heat and in one motion add the flour. Stir the mixture vigorously until combined. Return to the burner and continue to stir until the mixture stays away from the sides of the pan. Cool the dough until it’s just warm to the touch, or measures about 130°F.

4. Move the forming dough into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, add five of the eggs, one at a time, (reserving the sixth for an egg wash to be applied just prior to baking). Incorporate each egg before adding the next. Continue beating after the last egg for a couple of minutes or until smooth.

5. Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a 1/2” plain tip. Pipe 2” diameter mounds onto the lined baking sheets, twelve petit puffs on each sheet. (Or use a spoon to place dollops.) Whisk the final egg with a couple teaspoons of water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the dough mounds.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 15 minutes. The pastries should be evenly golden brown.

7. Immediately after removing from the oven, cut the tops off the puffs with a serrated knife to allow steam to escape. This will assist greatly in the puffs retaining their shape. Set aside to cool.

Filling Directions:

8. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the raspberries, blackberries, and granulated sugar. Stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and begin to thicken. Turn the heat to low and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

9. In a stand mixer with a chilled bowl, whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream into a pastry bag with a star tip.

10. Stir reserved berries into cooled berry filling.

11. Assemble the cream puffs by spooning 1-2 tablespoons of the berry filling in the cream puff base. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Finish by covering with the pastry top shell. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.