Recipe: Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cinnamon-glazed French toast Stuffed with Ricotta

CINNAMON-GLAZED FRENCH TOAST STUFFED WITH RICOTTA

"Serve this spectacular French toast with papaya slices, chicken-apple sausages, coffee and juice."

FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 cup sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons

FOR THE CINNAMON GLAZE:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup maple syrup

FOR THE FRENCH TOAST:
8 large or 16 small 1 1/4-inch thick slices day-old egg bread, brioche or Hawaiian-style bread
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup canola oil or light olive oil (for frying)

FOR SERVING:
1 (12 ounce) bag sliced peaches, thawed
1 (12 ounce) bag whole unsweetened pitted black cherries, thawed

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In small bowl, combine ricotta, sugar and lemon zest; mix well. Filling can be used right away, or refrigerated up to 2 days before using.

TO MAKE THE CINNAMON GLAZE:
In medium saucepan, combine both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, 2 sticks (1 cup) butter and maple syrup. Melt and heat over medium heat. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE FRENCH TOAST:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a small sharp knife, cut a pocket into the side of each slice of bread. With a metal spatula, fill each pocket with some ricotta filling, taking care not to tear through the bread.

In large shallow bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add vanilla, sugar and milk, mixing well.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip bread slices into egg mixture, turning to coat both sides. Fry until golden brown; turning once, then remove to baking sheet. Add more oil to fry remaining pieces of bread.

TO SERVE:
Spoon some warm cinnamon topping over the slices and bake on center rack 5 minutes, until bubbly around the edges and a thin crust has formed on top. Remove to individual plates, spoon more glaze over the top and serve immediately with some peaches and cherries on top. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook by Leslie Mackie, Carol Field, and Andrew Cleary