Doughnut French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

I saw Nigella Lawson make this the other day and couldn't stop thinking about it until I made it.

Doughnut French Toast
Food Network
The Line Up:
2 eggs
1/2 c full fat milk
4 tsp vanilla extract
4 slices from a small white loaf or 2 slices from a large white loaf, each slice cut in half
1 oz butter, plus a drop of flavorless oil for frying
1/4 c sugar

The Game Plan
Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla in a wide shallow bowl.
Soak the bread halves in the egg mixture for 5 minutes a side.
Heat the butter and oil in frying pan/skillet. Fry the egg soaked bread until golden brown and scorched in parts on both sides.
Put the sugar onto a plate and then dredge the cooked bread until coated like a sugared doughnut

Strawberry Syrup
The Line Up & Game Plan at once:
Place a handful of strawberries in a blender. Add powdered sugar to taste (1/4 c or less depending on how sweet your strawberries are.)
Add a little squeeze of fresh lemon and blend.


Coach's Post Game Conference
Well - I think I managed to do something wrong again - this recipe wasn't quite what I expected. I used Italian bread (was looking for Challah bread - but I think I picked the wrong day to do that... will have to make it to our neighborhood bakery one Friday soon).
I soaked the bread as it said and cooked it as instructed. It LOOKED ok - but it was like liquid bread on the inside... and maybe I didn't get enough sugar on them (HELLO - it's HOT when you take it out of the skillet so when you put in on the plate of sugar it begins to melt the sugar!) and it didn't taste as much like a doughnut as I had anticipated. Will have to play with this a bit
Also - ended up using more eggs and milk than it calls for - I originally doubled the recipe as I was making for 3 people and then had to add another egg and a bit of milk for the last 2 slices.
As for the sauce - I used frozen strawberries... next time I'll let them thaw before trying to make it! We all really loved the flavor though! It will definitely be an addition to our french toast meals when I make them.

The Final Score
French Toast
Coach -  Double
Catcher - Double
The All-Star - Triple

Strawberry sauce
Coach - Home Run
Catcher - Home Run
The All-Star - Home Run

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Wilted Red Lettuce Salad

If you've followed along for any period of time you know that Team Matos LOVES bacon. I truly feel that nothing bad can come from a recipe that includes bacon and bacon drippings! So a salad that calls for bacon, strawberries and sugar... has to be amazing, right!?

Wilted Red Lettuce Salad
Pillsbury Garden Fresh Fruits & Vegetables - July 1995
The Line Up
4 c red oakleaf lettuce or red tipped green leaf lettuce
1 c sliced strawberries
3 strips bacon
1/4 c red wine vinegar
3 TBSP sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

The Game Plan
In a large bowl, combine lettuce and strawberries; set aside.
Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 TBSP drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium low. Add vinegar, sugar and pepper; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture boils. Pour over lettuce and strawberries; toss gently to combine.
Arrange salad on 4 individual salad plates; dprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately.

Post Game Conference
I couldn't find the specific lettuce they caleld for - we don't have fancy food stores here in town. ;) So I just grabbed a mix with some red lettuce in it. I put in the whole pint of strawberries because I love them.  The dressing on this was AH-MAY-ZING!!!  I may figure out how to make a bunch of this dressing to keep around and have on hand it was so yummy! Not bitter like you would think with the vinegar, but very sweet!

Final Score
Home Run through the batting order again.

**edited - please read label disclaimer in "True Confessions" - 11/7/2013

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