Strawberry French Toast

So this recipe was inspired by Mother’s Day and the fact that my favorite berries are back on the market. Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Whipped Mascarpone will be your new favorite sweet brunch treat.

Brunching it.

Who doesn’t love brunch? I look forward to it every weekend, even if it’s an informal bagel at my family’s house. I think that counts? I’m not too sure when brunch became associated with Mother’s Day, but it certainly makes sense that there’s some sort of big afternoon meal going on that Sunday.

Now, this Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Whipped Mascarpone may be inspired by Mother’s Day, but it’s obviously appropriate for any weekend brunch. Be it a party or just you and your significant other, this recipe is a cinch to put together and easily adaptable to any serving amount.

Harry’s Berries

Now one reason I went for strawberries as the topping for this brioche French toast is because the beloved Harry’s Berries are back on the market! If you never heard of Harry’s, it’s a California based farm known for its strawberries.

They grow several different types of strawberries, and apparently their noncommercial varieties which do not withstand shipping are the best, but hey whatever makes it to New York is still fantastic. They are the sweetest, juiciest, most flavorful berries you’ll ever eat (unless you work on Harry’s farm). They’re so good I hardly mind the $11 I pay for a quart of them at Eataly. Besides New York and California, I’m not sure where you can find these berries, but it’s certainly worth looking into.

If you look at my photos, the only Harry’s Berries there are the ones with the greens attached. These berries are so sacred to me I didn’t want to “waste” them by macerating them. Oh I didn’t mention that, did I. I macerated the strawberries in this recipe with sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt to make them juicy and flavorful. The liquid is perfect to drizzle over French toast. On the other hand, if you do get your hands on Harry’s Berries, I suggest eating them straight up. They’re too good to mess with.

Mascarpone? Yes, please.

A whipped mascarpone topping adds delicious creaminess to this decadent brioche French toast. Now originally, I actually wanted to do a stuffed French toast. First, I cut wide pieces of bread and sliced little pockets into them which I stuffed with the mascarpone cream before frying. Bad idea. The cream completely melted by the time the French toast was cooked.

The second time, I cooked regular old French toast and then sandwiched the cream in the center. Equally bad idea. The hot French toast immediately melted it anyway.

The reason my filling melted is because whipped cream is a major ingredient in there. I really love the lightness it adds to the cheese compared to using straight up sweetened mascarpone. Whipped cream has to be made with cold ingredients and kept cold in the fridge. The second that milk fat warms up, you can say goodbye to that fluffy whipped cream. So obviously this is why I just decided to use the mascarpone cream as a topper. Can’t call it stuffed French toast, but it’s best this way.

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