Apple Pecan French Toast - A Simple Brunch for Two

Apple Pecan French Toast - A Simple Brunch for Two

Yesterday was a beautiful and rainy Autumn Sunday here in lovely North Carolina. It was also one of those rare occasions when my wonderful husband had the full two day weekend off from work. Early in the afternoon before he started one of the many projects on his agenda…he opened the door of the refrigerator and asked if I was hungry at all. I looked around and declared “Yes…and this is the perfect time for brunch” which, I am always craving. It is most certainly one of my favorite meals. I sometimes love to go out for brunch…but yesterday’s weather was nicer from the window and there was no reason not to make this meal from the food that was already in the house…after all neither of us wants to go trudge out into the storm, especially after I dragged him to the grocery store yesterday. Hmm…what did I want to eat?

I thought French toast would be nice…it is indeed one of my favorite foods. As a small child, French toast was one of the first foods that my father taught me to cook one early Sunday afternoon while my mother was at work. I wondered if my father knew then that preparing food would become my favorite craft.  I also thought about the best French toast that I had ever eaten…a hidden treasure found during a family vacation as a child when we went to Jamaica.  The food was amazing; our resort had buffets day and night. The sweetest corn on the cob and sugar coated French toast. That was it-I had to have French toast! Mmmm…I remembered the delicious batter soaked thick-sliced challah French toasts that the Greek Diners served at any time of day when I was growing up in New York City. There was nothing stopping me! I grabbed the over sized loaf of double fiber wheat bread and took a container of egg whites and no milk out of the refrigerator.  It made me laugh, times have certainly changed, back in the eighties the French toast I made with my now diabetic, hypertension ridden dad was usually made with white-flour filled bread, whole eggs and whole milk…and that’s only if we were out of his favorite, heavy cream, which he always loved to add to his morning breakfast cereals like corn flakes along with a few scoops of sugar. We would also use what seemed like gallons of pure Vermont maple syrup to sweeten our already sugar filled French toast. I do Loooovvvveeee Maple syrup!

Whoa-Wait! I had to put a halt on everything, did we have maple syrup? No!!!!!! Oh No, I thought, what am I going to do, now? Be Creative-Maybe? I can rediscover French toast by enjoying it in a new way. I started looking around the kitchen, trying to decide what would be a perfectly sweet finishing touch. Then I spotted a bowl of apples sitting on the table. I knew they would be an excellent match with the season and the meal.

Before preparing the French toast, I thought I should get started on the topping first, so the apples would have a chance to soften and cook. I used a small saucepan and added 1 cup of water. After I peeled and sliced up one apple, it really seemed like more than enough, so that is all I used and combined it with a couple of tablespoons of crushed fresh North Carolina pecans www.ncpecans.org. While I worked, I snagged a sliver of the apple and it was so naturally tasty that I just needed a little bit of natural sweetener…some raw honey (1 teaspoon) and brown sugar (1/2 teaspoon); oh and of course, a pinch of cinnamon. With everything in the tightly covered pot, simmering on a low heat while I prepared the toast…the apples pretty much did the work themselves. I checked and stirred them occasionally.

                As for the rest of the meal, I took out a glass pie dish since it seemed like it was a great depth for beating the egg-whites and soaking the bread. One cup of liquid egg-whites seemed like the perfect amount for (4) slices of French toast. Raw honey, brown sugar and cinnamon definitely needed to be included and since I wanted to make sure the French toast maintained it's traditional sweetness and was flavorful in its own right, I also added a tiny bit of raw coconut nectar (which has no coconut flavor) and pure vanilla extract.  Using only a fork to break up the raw honey and whip the egg-whites, I beat the mixture for about thirty seconds until it was foamy.  Then I dipped each slice of bread in to the batter, soaking both sides. A large frying pan sprayed generously with non-stick cooking spray and heated to a medium-high temperature was ideal for transforming my bread into toast.  I always struggle with trying to be patient enough to allow the French toast to brown on one side before flipping it, but I tried to contain myself.

After the French toast had browned well on both sides, I removed the slices from the pan, cut them diagonally and arranged them on plates, covering each serving with a spoonful of the apple topping and allowing some of the liquid to absorb into the toast. These great combinations caused a  yummy aroma filled the air with scents of autumn. The results were a divinely mouthwatering meal that filled us with warmth sparing us from further feeling the chill that filled the damp air; a very happy and gracious husband (which he always is); and a pretty easy clean-up.  

If you would like to try and make this, here are the exact ingredients and instructions:

Apple Topping:

1 Apple (peeled and sliced thin)

1 cup Water

2 tbsp. Chopped Pecans

1 tsp. Raw Honey

½ tsp. Brown Sugar

1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Place all of the ingredients in to a small or medium saucepan and cover tightly. Simmer with the lid in place, on low heat for 20-30 minutes until the apples have softened and the liquid has reduced slightly. Stir the mixture occasionally, replacing cover afterward.

French Toast

4 Large Slices of Bread (I prefer something with Whole Grains)

1 cup Liquid Egg Whites

1 tsp. Raw Honey

1 tsp. Raw Coconut Nectar

½ tsp. Brown Sugar

½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

                Set bread aside and prepare a large frying pan (or griddle) by spraying generously with your favorite non-stick cooking spray and heating the pan to a med-high temperature.  Place all of the other ingredients (not the bread) into a shallow bowl or glass pie dish and beat the mixture with a fork until it is foamy. Next, using your hands take each slice of bread and dip both sides into the mixture for just a couple of seconds each. Place into pan, trying to leave space for the rest of the slices. Cook until almost completely golden on one side, and then flip each slice using a spatula, browning reverse side. Remove from the pan and serve. You can cover the Toast with the apple topping or you can even just serve the toast with the apple topping on the side if you prefer. The apples and the toast are both quite delectable by themselves as well as together and they can both be prepared alone and paired with other items that might be lying around the house, too.  I hope you have enjoyed this post and meal!  Oh, and please follow me for more ideas to come. Happy Brunching!