I don’t know what it is about French toast that evokes such fond memories of Sunday morning breakfast. Perhaps it is how the whole house smells when it is grilling in butter. Maybe it is because the ingredients are simple, likely everything you already have in your fridge and pantry.
French toast is one of those go-to dishes when nothing else comes to mind. It is easy to make and includes carbs, protein, fat, and always something sweet. It is warming and filling. Classic French toast served with a side of grilled bacon and some orange slices just can’t be beat for a weekend breakfast.
I am not talking about those boxed, frozen slices that you heat in your toaster oven. I am talking about bread slices dipped in a bath of eggs and milk or cream and grilled or fried in butter or oil. The George Foreman contact grill is the perfect vehicle for cooking French toast. It is so fast! You can just keep the slices coming all morning.
Getting Creative with French Toast
We will tackle the classic French toast recipe here. You can stop there and be completely satisfied. If you are feeling adventurous, try some of the other recipes. Or, invent your own version.
Classic French toast uses only 1 slice of bread per serving. Stuffed French toast is more like a sweet breakfast sandwich. You can stuff the bread with fruit, jam, nut butter, chocolate, or cream cheese. The second recipe here is inspired by the Elvis peanut butter and banana sandwich with a twist.
For the third recipe, French toast goes in the savory and sweet direction with a Monte Cristo sandwich. The Monte Cristo is assumed to be the American variation of the French Croque Monsieur. Croque Monsieur is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that is served at cafes as an afternoon snack.
The Monte Cristo is also a ham and cheese sandwich. However, the sandwich is dipped in a French toast batter before it is grilled. It is also served with a dipping jam to bring some sweetness to the dish. It really hits a lot of umami notes with salty, fatty, and sweet ingredients. Add some pickles to the sandwich and you wake up all of your taste buds. The exterior is crisp and the interior is creamy.
Let’s Talk About the Bread
I am convinced that there isn’t a type of bread that can’t be transformed into French toast. White bread is a fairly common choice. I personally like whole grain bread and even gluten free bread. Many recipes call for brioche, challah, or sourdough bread. It should be sliced thickly and preferably day old.
Classic Grilled French Toast
Ingredients:
- 6 whole eggs
- 1-1/2 cups half and half or whole milk
- 1 TBS fine sugar
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 6 thick slices of white sandwich or challah bread
- 4 TBS butter, softened
- 4 TBS canola oil
- Pure maple syrup or powdered sugar
Total time:13 min – Prep time:10 min – Cook time:3 min – Serves:4 people
Author: Diana
Directions:
1. In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Place the bread slices in the mixture and keep turning over until all the slices are soaked. Set aside while you preheat your grill.
2. Preheat your Foreman Grill to high with the top closed. While the grill is heating up, whisk together the butter and oil in a small bowl.
3. Brush both plates of the grill generously with the butter and oil mixture. Place as many slices of bread on the grill that will fit and close the top. Grill until golden brown and a little crispy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat until all the bread is grilled.
4. Serve the toast with maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar and a side of grilled bacon.
Peanut Butter, Nutella, and Banana Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients:
- 8 slices of sourdough bread
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
- 1/2 cup Nutella or other hazelnut & chocolate spread
- 2 bananas, thinly sliced
- 4 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 TBS butter, softened
- Powdered sugar for serving
Total time: 18 min – Prep time: 15 min – Cook time: 3 min – Serves: 4 people
Directions:
1. Spread nut butter on 4 of the bread slices. Spread Nutella on the other 4 slices. Place banana slices on the nut butter. Then, place the Nutella faced bread on top of the bananas.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Place the assembled sandwiches in the mixture to coat. Flip the sandwiches and soak the other side. Set aside.
3. Preheat your Foreman Grill to high with the top closed.
4. Brush both plates of the grill generously with the butter. Place as many sandwiches on the grill that will fit and close the top. Grill until golden brown and a little crispy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat until all the sandwiches are grilled.
5. Dust with powdered sugar. Slice on a diagonal and serve with napkins.
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Ingredients:
- 4 slices white or whole wheat bread
- 2 TBS good mayonnaise
- 4 slices Emmentaler cheese
- 4 slices black forest or honey roasted deli ham
- 3 whole eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 TBS canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 TBS unsalted butter
- Blackberry jam for serving
Total time: 11 min – Prep time: 8 min – Cook time: 3 min – Serves: 2 people
Directions:
1. Spread the mayonnaise on one face of all 4 of the bread slices. Place a slice of cheese on 2 pieces of bread. Add 2 slices of ham to each sandwich. Top again with the remaining cheese. Place the other slice of bread with mayonnaise on top of the sandwich.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and. Place the assembled sandwiches in the mixture to coat. Flip the sandwiches and soak the other side. Set aside.
3. Preheat your Foreman Grill to high with the top closed.
4. Brush both plates of the grill generously with the butter and oil mixture. Place the sandwiches on the grill and close the top. Grill until golden brown and a little crispy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes
5. Slice the sandwiches in half. Serve with a good dollop of jam to dip the sandwiches into.
There are variations of this sandwich. You can use turkey breast slices in place of ham. Some chefs like to substitute Gouda cheese for Emmentaler so that the sandwich is a little easier to eat. Emmentaler is a hard Swiss cheese. Blackberry jam is optional. You can use any flavor of jam or simply serve fresh strawberry slices or orange wedges on the side.
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