Stuffed French Toast Recipe

Slice the loaf of bread into 3-4 inch thick slices. Lay the slices out on a wire rack and let dry out overnight. (See notes 1.)

In a bowl with an electric mixer or a whisk, add the mascarpone, cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix until smooth.

Add the chopped strawberries and mix until evenly distributed. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip. Place in the freezer while you prepare the French toast custard. (See notes 2.)

Make the French toast custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the stale bread slices on one sheet pan. Using a sharp paring or boning knife, create a small pocket in the side of the stale slice of bread, making sure not to cut through the entire slice. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezer and fill the pocket with the cream cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining slices. There will be leftover strawberry filling. Reserve for later use.

Soak each slice in the custard for about 30 seconds on each side. Place the soaked slices back on the sheet pan.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt two tablespoons of butter. Once the butter melts, reduce the heat to low. Add one or two slices of the French toast into the skillet and fry on each side about 3-5 minutes until slightly puffed and golden brown. Place on the second sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and repeat with the remaining slices of French toast.

Bake the pan-fried French toast in the preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes for the custard to set. Remove the French toast from the oven and sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of each French toast.

Use a culinary torch to brûlée the tops of each toast. Let the sugar crust set for 1 minute before slicing.

Slice the stuffed French toast diagonally or leave whole, if desired. Transfer the stuffed French toast to the serving plate. Squeeze a couple of dollops of the reserved strawberry filling and some fresh berries. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Garnish with fresh mint and serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!