French toast was my favorite breakfast as a child. Every once in a while, my parents would whip up a big batch using thin slices of Home Pride wheat bread and we would all sit at the table passing a family sized bottle of Log Cabin maple syrup from hand to hand. Sweet memories…
As an adult, I am still a big fan of french toast and love topping it with berries or baked apples, whipped cream, powdered sugar… all of the classics. Typically, we add our toppings to the outside of french toast, after it has already been cooked up, but did you know that you can add some serious flavor to your french toast before it even hits the griddle?
Today, we are making spiced french toast and topping it with an orange ricotta cream. It may sound a little toity, but it doesn’t require any special ingredients and tastes so warm and homey. I just know that you will love it! Lets get it started…
You will need two groups of ingredients: the batter for the French toast and the ingredients of the orange ricotta cream. I make the batter first, so the flavors have a few minutes to get to know each other. Crack 4 large eggs into something easy to whisk in. I use one of those 2 cup measuring cups with the little pouring spout on the side. Whisk your eggs a bit and then add 1/2 cup of whole milk, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and the spices. The spices we are adding will be 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and all spice. The smell of this batter is intoxicating. Once it is all whisked together, transfer it into a shallow wide dish that will be easy to dip your bread into.
Let this batter rest, while you whip up the orange ricotta cream. Add 1/3 cup of ricotta, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of orange zest, 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar and a few drops of orange extract, which is optional, into the bowl of your stand mixer and mix it on medium high until it develops soft peaks.
Now that our batter has rested, dip your bread into the batter, allowing it to soak for 10-15 seconds on either side and cook it on a buttered griddle or wide skillet until both sides are golden brown. The best bread for French toast is brioche. It is soft and pillowy, just perfect for absorbing the egg batter. Now you can buy brioche OR you can bake your own by using this awesome brioche recipe: Brioche.
Once your french toast is all golden and crispy, stack a few of them on your plate, add a few dollops of your orange ricotta cream and enjoy all of the beautiful flavors.
Spiced French Toast with Orange Ricotta Cream
Ingredients
Spiced French Toast
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 thick slices of your favorite bread
Orange Ricotta Cream
- 1/3 cup ricotta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- a few drops of a citrus or orange extract (optional)
Instructions
Spiced French Toast
- Whisk together all of the batter ingredients in a shallow wide bowl
- Place a flat griddle or wide skillet over medium heat and grease with butter or non-stick spray
- Dip toast into the french toast batter, allowing it to soak on both sides for 10-15 seconds
- Once the skillet is warm, cook the spice soaked bread until both sides are golden brown
Orange Ricotta Cream
- In a medium bowl, whisk all of the orange ricotta cream ingredients together until soft peaks form
Assembly
- Place several slices of golden brown spiced french toast on a plate and top with a large dollop of orange ricotta cream
- Serve immediately
