Hartsons 4th Of July French Toast Flag Food

PATRIOTIC FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Combine the thawed strawberries with their juice and the blueberries in a bowl; set aside. Beat together the softened cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until smooth; set aside. Whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
• Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet or griddle. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating thoroughly. Cook until well-browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Place cooked slices on baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture over each slice of french toast, then top with 2 tablespoons of the fruit. Serve immediately.

FRENCH TOAST WITH COGNAC AND CITRUS

Steps:

• Whisk together eggs, milk, juice, vanilla, cognac, sugar, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
• Place bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold bread slices in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn slices over; soak 10 minutes more or until soaked through.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread slices until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread. Wipe skillet, and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Serve warm with maple syrup, if desired.

HARTSON'S 4TH OF JULY FRENCH TOAST FLAG

Steps:

• :.
• Add one half ½ cup of Champagne of choice to a Champagne glass and fill to the top with Grapefruit Juice. Begin sipping while you cook your flag masterpiece as directed below (this is for the cook, ingredients not listed in recipe but great for the chef)!
• Wash then cut Strawberries lengthwise. Discard first and last cut to the side (it's great for snacking while you're cooking). Set aside remaining slices.
• Wash Blueberries. Discard flawed blueberries. Set aside selected blueberries.
• Egg Mixture: Beat eggs and place in small dish, large enough to hold egg mix and one or more bread slices (to be added later).
• Add and mix Vanilla extract and Milk.
• Bacon: Begin Cooking bacon and set aside for finishing touches later. I recommend cooking the bacon in a fashion to prevent it from curling. Here is my suggestion: Here's a recipe for Bacon - Boiled [Amazingly Simple and Quick] from Food.com: http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-boiled-amazingly-simple-and-quick-531699?nl=email_share.
• Place one or more pieces of Hawaiian Bread slices in egg mixture. Flip. Coat both sides so egg mixture adheres to bread slices but does not over saturate (Important so inside is not soggy).
• Heat frying pan at medium temperature until drops of water quickly sizzle/evaporate. Add small amount of butter to frying pan (this will add to the French toast crispness).
• Place Hawaiian bread slices coated with egg mix onto frying pan. Cook both sides until lightly brown (about 4 minutes per side). I recommend cooking an extra piece and checking for doneness before getting ready to cook the rest for your dinner guests.
• Plate two pieces of finished cooked bread (French toast), staggered.
• Add three (3) rows of three (3) across blueberries to upper left corner of each slice of French toast.
• Add row of Strawberry Slices end to end across to piece of French toast starting where the blueberry's first row stopped.
• Add a row of whipped cream from a can to each slice of French toast below the line of strawberries.
• Continue to alternate Strawberry/Whipped cream rows to bottom of French toast.
• Add cooked piece of bacon vertically from the top of the left side of each piece of French Toast.
• Serve.