French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce

I have this problem with buying too many strawberries. It happens every year when strawberry season hits - I see them lined up so beautifully at the market, perfectly plump and glistening, and I can't resist buying them by the crateful. Unfortunately, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach, and before I know it, I've got a half-eaten box of strawberries that's about to go south. Is this just me?

French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce, Brunchographers

To assuage my berry-related guilt, I've been experimenting with the best ways to use them before they go bad - I found that freezing them for later use in smoothies is an uncomplicated solution, roasting them can make for an unexpected dessert when paired with vanilla ice cream, or making a simple jam with them can make you feel like the accomplished farm wife you've always dreamt of being (again, just me?). Or, if a dressed-up, sexy brunch dish is what you're after (and lets be real, that's what we're all after), you can simmer them slowly with butter, maple syrup, and a touch of balsamic vinegar, and pour them over some custardy French toast. It's basically like going to strawberry heaven. 

French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce, Brunchographers

For this recipe, I called upon the grocery-delivery angels at Milk & Eggs to bring the ingredients right to my door - including Bread Lounge's Walnut Loaf, a perfect petite rustic loaf that's chock full of walnuts and has a firm, chewy texture. If you use a dense loaf like this, be sure to give the slices ample time to soak up the egg mixture - you want to make sure the centers are nice and custardy! 

French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce, Brunchographers

French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce 

For the French Toast:
1 loaf Bread Lounge Walnut Loaf (or similar small loaf of bread)
2 eggs
½ cup almond milk
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 tbsp butter or neutral oil 

For the Balsamic Strawberry Sauce:
2 cups strawberries, sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp butter (or margarine if dairy-free) 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

To serve:
Whipped cream
Additional sliced strawberries
Powdered sugar

Method:

1. Begin by preparing the strawberry sauce. In a medium skillet or saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat until melted and bubbling. Add the 2 cups of sliced strawberries, and saute until softened, about two minutes. Add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and salt, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer until strawberries have partially broken down and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat. 
2. Next, prepare the French toast. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside. 
3. Slice the walnut loaf into one-inch-thick pieces. Slowly dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing some time for the mixture to soak into each slice (tip: I like to let each slice rest in the mixture for a minute or two, to ensure it soaks all the way into the bread). 
4. Heat the 1 tbsp butter or oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Fry bread slices for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp on the edges. 
5. To serve, reheat the strawberry sauce if it has cooled. Top the French Toast with additional fresh sliced strawberries, a generous pour of the strawberry sauce, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy! 
    

French Toast with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce, Brunchographers

Groceries for this post were kindly provided by Milk & Eggs, our favorite grocery delivery service! All opinions are our own.  

Peaches + Cream Chia Pudding Parfaits

It’s official - as of today, summer is here! Sunny days lie ahead, full of picnics, beach trips, and of course, plenty of vibrant summer produce. The arrival of peaches in the markets was the first fragrant sign of the season’s change, and we couldn’t help but pile heaps of them into our shopping carts (both real and virtual, thanks to Milk & Eggs grocery delivery).

If the summer heat already has you dreading  getting into the kitchen, these cool and satisfying chia pudding parfaits are for you - they’re a great way to dress up your breakfast and take full advantage of all those peaches you may or may not have hoarded, and there’s absolutely no cooking involved. Plus, you’ll crush your hunger through lunchtime by loading up on protein, fat, and fiber. Feel free to swap out for a plain yogurt of your choice - vegan or lower/higher-fat varieties will work well, though take note that Greek-style will hold up best for a pretty swirl effect on top. If more protein is what you’re after, try mixing in your favorite vanilla protein powder to the vanilla “cream” (but be sure to reduce maple syrup quantity to account for a sweetened powder).

Peaches & Cream Chia Pudding Parfaits

Ingredients

For the Peach Yogurt Chia Pudding layers:

• 1 container plain Greek Yogurt (we used Wallaby)
• 1 medium peach, cubed
• 2 tbsp chia seeds (we used Navitas)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

For the Vanilla Bean Yogurt “Cream” layers:

• 1 container plain Greek Yogurt (we used Aussie)
• 1 tsp maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Toppings:

• 1 medium peach, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted

Method

1. Begin by preparing the Peach Yogurt Chia Pudding. Place one container yogurt, cubed peach, maple syrup, and chia seeds in a small food processor or blender, and process until the peach is completely puréed and the mixture is smooth. (Note: some chia seeds may remain whole depending on the type of processor you use, and that’s ok! The mixture will thicken either way.) Decant mixture into a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2. To make the Vanilla Bean Yogurt "Cream," add maple syrup and vanilla bean paste to yogurt and mix well (you can do this directly in the container). Add additional maple syrup if desired for a sweeter flavor. Chill until ready to assemble parfaits.

3. To assemble, alternate adding peach yogurt chia pudding, vanilla bean yogurt, and chopped peach and almond toppings into two serving containers to create a layered effect. Serve immediately.

Makes two servings. 

Enjoy!

Groceries for this post were kindly provided by Milk & Eggs, our favorite grocery delivery service! All opinions are our own.  

A Picnic Brunch with Friends

Summer is in full swing, and we are smitten. Even on the hottest days, sunny Southern California weather does not disappoint, and we find ourselves drawn to spend long, leisurely afternoons at the beach or by the pool. Farmers markets are alive with color and activity, their stands piled high with ripe produce, inspiring vibrant, vegetable-centered feasts best enjoyed al fresco. Friends gather to enjoy music or movies in the great outdoors, families ride their bikes along winding beach paths, the sun sets late. Sunscreen is required, but shoes are definitely not. This can only be described as summer bliss, and it deserves to be celebrated - ideally, with brunch served outside. So naturally, on a sunny summer Sunday, we packed up some brunch in our baskets and headed to the park for an afternoon with friends. 

In true summer spirit, we wanted our brunch picnic to reflect all the vibrant flavors of the season without requiring that we spend too much time in the kitchen. We focused on simple, easy-to-transport mains, backed up by plenty of shareable, hand-held snacks and treats. A fresh, fruity cocktail was a must, as were heaps of fresh summer berries, cherries, and grapes. 

To drink, some refreshing cocktails made with fresh pureed watermelon, tequila, blueberries, mint, and lime juice. These are oh-so-delicious, and taste like summer in liquid form - even the watermelon-fearful among our group fell in love with them. The recipe is easily made a few hours ahead of time, and it's easy enough to transport as long as you've got a leakproof container and a cooler. We topped off each glass with a touch of La Croix to add a bit of sparkle. You could use plain old sparkling water, but why would you? La Croix is too much fun. 

All good brunch includes a little something sweet to start, so we kicked off ours with some adorable coffee cake muffins using a recipe from Joy the Baker's beautiful brunch book, Over Easy. Joy's recipe is for big-kid sized muffins, but since we knew we'd be taking our treats outside, we decided to make 'em tiny - because, you know, tiny things are cuter. And also easier to eat. These are downright addictive little things - they've got a lovely toasty brown butter flavor and a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and they're topped off with a generous amount of sweet, buttery crumble and crunchy nuts. 

Sandwiches are perhaps the most essential picnic food, so we whipped up two sandwich variations for ours. First, a grilled chicken sandwich with sundried tomato spread, spinach, and mozzarella. The spread was super flavorful and added a bright, tangy flavor that complimented the hearty chicken and creamy mozzarella perfectly. Of course, bread is perhaps the most important factor in a good sandwich, and must be carefully considered during construction. Before the picnic, we dropped by one of our favorite spots, Lodge Bread, to pick up one of their amazing naturally-leavened whole wheat loaves. Its nuttiness and tang add a really nice element to this delicious combo. 

For the vegetarians of the group, we put together some pretty Green Goddess Sandwiches - pleasing not just to the eyes, but to the belly! We were inspired by two recipes for these: Joy the Baker's version, again from Over Easy, and also a version by The Bojon Gourmet that employs fresh mozzarella. These start with a base of seeded sourdough from a vendor at our local farmers market, Bakeshack, which is toasted and then slathered with some homemade herby, garlicky mayo. Next, layers of sliced zebra-striped green heirloom tomatoes, fresh daikon sprouts, tender butter lettuce, creamy avocado, and luscious fresh mozzarella. For a few special diets in the group, we even made a vegan, gluten-free variation of this sandwich - for the bread, we picked up a loaf of gluten-free sourdough from Honey Hi (one of our favorite healthy spots on the Eastside), and used Kite Hill's delicious soft fresh almond milk cheese in place of mozzarella. 

For a protein-packed side dish, we made a quick quinoa tabbouleh with tons of parsley and mint, heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, and a generous drizzle of lemon and olive oil. This is the sort of thing we make without a recipe - its composition is defined more by muscle memory and whatever's currently in our fridge than by any strict rules - but here's a good one if you're in need. On top, we sprinkled some crunchy chickpeas tossed in za'atar, which are completely addictive and add depth to pretty much anything you put them on. That's assuming, of course, you don't eat them all the moment they come out of the oven. 

No good picnic is complete without some chips, so when Johnna discovered this simple recipe for homemade salt and vinegar chips, we knew we had to try them for ourselves. There's something so satisfying about a chip that's homemade, and this one is especially appealing with a generous sprinkling of salt and just a kiss of vinegar flavor. To simplify portioning them out (and let's be real, to keep us from eating most of the batch before we even got to our picnic spot), we put them in simple parchment bags from the grocery store, which also made for a very pretty effect. 

For dessert, we turned once again to Joy's wonderful Over Easy for inspiration, and created a riff on her Peaches & Cream with Honeyed Cornflakes recipe. Peaches are abundant in our farmers market these days, so we chose some sweet white peaches with a delicate floral flavor and grilled them quickly to add a nice touch of caramelization. In cute little picnic-friendly jars, we combined them with creamy whipped mascarpone cheese and blueberries, and sprinkled them with Joy's lovely honeyed cornflakes for some crunch and added sweetness. 

With heaps of seasonal produce, this picnic spread was a celebration of summer abundance - and with a little advance preparation, truly wasn't all that difficult to whip up. We can't think of a more delicious way to celebrate the warm summer months than an al fresco brunch with our friends, and we hope we've inspired you to throw one of your own!