Guava & Cream Cheese French Toast

I often hear people commenting on how they’re not breakfast people. Or how they can’t eat for a few hours after they wake up in the morning. I do not understand these people. Am I the only one who wakes up hungry? Now that I’m pregnant, sale I actually wake up starving and usually have two, help sometimes three, doctor breakfasts. A small one before I work out – a piece of fruit, a little bit of cereal – and then a more substantial one before I get ready to go to work – usually a fruit and peanut butter smoothie or oatmeal and an egg. If I’m still hungry, I’ll have cheese and crackers when I get to work. Am I boring you with my daily routine? Sorry about that. I just mean to say – I am really into breakfast.

And breakfast on the weekend is even better. You get to stay in your pajamas while you make something good to eat and you don’t have to worry about how long it will take or how much of a mess you’ll make. There’s plenty of time for special treats. This breakfast definitely falls into the “special treat” category and it’s not for those of you on diets. 07 19 30

I got the idea when I had brunch at my favorite restaurant – Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. They serve a Guava and Cream Cheese stuffed French Toast which was one of the highlights of our meal. Granted, my version is not as pretty or as well-executed, but I can promise you that it’s delicious.

The secret is to use non-sweet bread. While I love regular french toast made with brioche and challah bread, I think those would make thing dish overly sweet. Instead I opted for something called a “Neo Tuscan Boule” from the bakery. It was basically a sourdough boule and it was the perfect contrast to the sweet guava and maple syrup. If you’ve never had guava and cream cheese together, then shame on you! It’s amazing. Like chocolate covered pretzels or gorgonzola and pears. A match made in breakfast heaven.

[print_this text=’Print Recipe’]Guava & Cream Cheese French Toast

Note: If you can’t find guava pasta at your local grocery store, try a Hispanic market or order online. So good on a saltine with a little cream cheese, or in these cupcakes or this BBQ sauce.

1 lb. sourdough-like boule, cut into 1-inch slices
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. butter
6 oz. guava paste, cut into as many slices as you have bread slices
6 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
Maple syrup

Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a big bowl. Dip each bread slices in the bowl, covering both sides and place in a baking dish. Cover with the remaining batter and let sit for about 20 – 30 minutes, or even overnight, turning them over every once in awhile.

Preheat the oven to 200° or set it to “low”. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s nice and hot, then melt 1 tbsp. of butter in the pan. Cook each slice of bread for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the side is deeply golden. Resist the urge to touch the toast too much and only flip once.

As you finish each batch, place it back in the (cleaned) baking dish and place it in the warm oven. When you’re done with all your toast, remove the baking dish from the oven and smear each piece of toast with cream cheese, then place a slice of guava paste on top. Serve immediately with maple syrup on the side.

Makes 4 large or 6 normal sized servings (picture is for 4 large).
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