First, with the polar vortex turning everyone’s blood to ice, and now with this “bombogenesis” upon us, I decided to metaphysically warm up with a tropical breakfast.

I took my Homemade Bread and turned it into Tropical Almond French Toast, based off of the Coconut-Almond French Toast with Tropical Fruit recipe from a January 2014 issue of Woman’s World, but with a few changes.

Here are some of the ingredients I used, although I forgot to put the coconut in the photo.  Anyway, the french toast gets its amazing almond flavor from the almond milk and almond extract.

The coconut is added before you cook it, and the diced fruit afterwards, as a topping.  I used bananas and mango mixed with some brown sugar and lime juice, but you could add in just about any fruit here that you like, or whatever’s in season.  I found this to be a good combination, especially because the banana and mango were flavorful but still mild enough to allow the almond and coconut flavors to really shine through.

Just like my usual french toast, I took day-old bread and dunked it into a mixture of milk and eggs and flavoring.  The bread needs to be crusty and dry to absorb the liquid.  If it’s fresh bread, the liquid will only cover the surface instead of absorbing.  You’ll know for certain it was too fresh if you have a bunch of milk mix left over after soaking all of the bread.  The best way to get the right consistency of bread is to leave it out, with the slices spread out, at least overnight.

After letting the bread soak in the milk mixture for a minute, turning it to ensure even coating, gently pull the bread out of the milk.  The bread will be heavy with the milk, so be careful to support it.

Just before placing the bread on a greased griddle, sprinkle it with some sweetened coconut.  Then, lay it coconut-side down on the griddle and sprinkle coconut on the side that’s facing up.  The coconut is an important step because I love the sweet, crispy crust that it forms toast.

Let the french toast brown, then flip and brown on the other side.  Make sure the bread cooks long enough that it cooks all the way through.  At least 3 or 4 minutes, or longer if your bread is thick like mine – you don’t want gooey egg on the inside when you’re eating it.

Once the french toast is done, put it on a plate and top with the fruit mixture.  I suggest a wee bit more fruit than what’s pictured here.  I didn’t want to overload it for the photos, but I added more while eating it.

Also, a slight sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top adds a nice balance of sweetness, as does a drizzle of honey, which also adds a little extra moisture but functions as a substitute for syrup.  You could use maple syrup if you prefer, but I like how the honey blends with the fruit.

If you cut the slices of your bread thick, then one slice should be enough per person.  The leftovers freeze well, but also keep in the refrigerator for awhile.

Enjoy!  Let me know what you think!

Tropical Almond French Toast

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond milk
6 large eggs
4 Tbsp packed brown sugar, separated
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 to 10 thick slices day-old bread
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 mango, diced
2 bananas, diced
1 Tbsp lime juice
confectionary sugar
honey

Whisk together almond milk, eggs, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, and almond extract in a large, shallow bowl.

Dip bread into mixture for about a minute on each side, allowing bread to absorb the milk. Carefully remove bread from bowl allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl (use a fork or spatula to prevent tearing if it’s become too soggy) and sprinkle each side with coconut flakes.

Place bread on a greased, flat skillet or griddle over medium to medium high heat. Cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, mix the mango and banana pieces with the remaining 2 Tbs. brown sugar and the lime juice.

To serve, place French Toast on a plate and top with the fruit mixture. Then sprinkle powdered sugar over top and drizzle with honey.

(Note: you can use just about any combination of fruit you like, in addition to or in substitution of the mango and banana. Also, you can substitute maple syrup for the honey, if you prefer.)

*****

And here is the FREE printable PDF:  Tropical Almond French Toast