This recipe is one that emerged in my first few years away from mom, alone in my own kitchen, on a budget, and still wanting to eat well. One evening, hungry from a day at my first job, I stared down the sparse landscape of my pantry and fridge and somehow managed to whip up this wonderful and easy savory French toast. Since then it has become a staple dish, perfect for solo-dining or, like the recipe below, feeding my friends over Sunday brunch.

As there are relatively few components to this recipe, selecting the best quality, organic ingredients will make all the difference. If you can find pastured eggs use them. Use a your favorite whole grain bread from your favorite local bakery. For the sauce, Muir Glen packed with basil is my preferred choice, but in the summer, cooking down a few fresh, ripe tomatoes is the way to go. If you have any leftovers, just pop them into the toaster-oven for an easy lunch or dinner.

Almond-Crusted French Toast with Simple Tomato Sauce & Wilted Spinach

5 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
fresh ground black pepper
6 slices whole-grain sandwich bread (day old, stale works best)
2 cups toasted, finely chopped almonds

Simple Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2-28 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand or in the food processor
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt

Wilted Spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large bunches of fresh spinach (about 1 ½ lbs), washed and stemmed
pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the center. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly grease.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, but not browned. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer over medium-high heat uncovered for 15-25 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.

In a large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Spread the nuts out on a large plate. Place three slices of bread into the egg mixture and soak for one minute on each side. Then lay each slice, one at a time, onto the nuts, press down so that the nuts stick, and flip to coat the other side. Transfer each slice to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining three slices of bread and arrange so that the slices do not touch. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

While the French toast bakes, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and sauté until wilted and most of the liquid released has cooked off. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Flip each slice and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the center is firm to the touch and toasts are golden brown.

Serve hot with a spoonful each of spinach and tomato sauce.

Serves 6

Variations are endless here. Just about any nut can be used in place of the almonds – pecans and walnuts work great. For an easy perk up, add 1 teaspoon each of oregano and dill to the tomato sauce and garnish the final dish with a sprinkling of feta cheese and chopped kalamata olives. For an Indian flare, replace the milk with coconut milk and add 1 ½ tablespoons of curry to the egg mixture. For a kid-friendly PB&J twist, cut each slice of bread into three fingers, use peanuts for the crust, and instead of tomato sauce and spinach, simply serve it with slices of fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey.

Comments (3) | February 22 - 1:52 PM

category: Recipes