Grilled Cheese French Toast

Serves 2 (meant to be shared!)

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup heavy or light cream
  • 1-2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4-6" piece French bread, crusts removed, halved lengthwise
  • ½ cup pimento, grated cheddar or Gruyere cheese
  • 4-6 strips crisply cooked bacon
  • 2 tbsp butter

For Serving

  • fresh blueberries or strawberries
  • maple syrup
  • powdered sugar

Equipment

  • nonstick oven-safe skillet

How-to

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Whisk together eggs, cream and cinnamon until blended and set aside
  3. Spread cheese on both faces of bread, arrange crisp bacon slices on top and fold bread together to make a sandwich
  4. Melt butter in a skillet on low heat (do not brown the butter)
  5. Place sandwich into the egg mixture to submerge.  If fresh bread, just submerge for few seconds, if bread is older than a day, soak for a few minutes; do not saturate the bread but you want the egg mixture to get into the bread. Remove from egg mixture, letting excess drip off and place in skillet
  6. Increase heat to medium and brown the sandwich, about 4-5 minutes each side (keep an eye on it and adjust heat so as not to burn)
  7. When bread is golden brown, drain excess butter from the pan, and finish in the preheated oven to melt the cheese, about 5-10 minutes (check at 5 minutes)
  8. Arrange on a plate, slice and garnish with berries, as much syrup as you like and a generous dusting of powdered sugar