Cravings: Hungry For More's French Toast with Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping-Famous Fridays
I’ve been talking about ways to add more everyday fun into life lately and in that spirit, I want to share Chrissy Teigen’s new cookbook with you, Cravings: Hungry For More and her recipe for French Toast with Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping. Get ready for some Famous Fridays Fun! TGIF!! Oh, and happy first day of March!!
If you know anything about Chrissy, then you know how zany and full of life and fun (there’s that word again) she is. She also happens to be an accomplished cook and passionate foodie. Check out her Instagram page. She may be a supermodel but she is addicted to talking about food (and her kids, who are totally adorable, so how can you blame her?). Her cookbooks are not like some other celebrity cookbooks which are all flash and no substance—no sirree. These are books you’re going to adore and really use and laugh (and cry) while reading. I’ve already featured her once before on Famous Fridays with her first book, Cravings: Recipes For All the Food You Want To Eat and the book is aptly named—you really are going to want to eat all of this food, especially these Pineapple Grilled Short Ribs . My only criticism with that book is that most of the recipes are on the fairly decadent/high caloric side, so while yummy, they’re likely to get relegated to once-in-a-while land. However, with this new book, more of the recipes are in line with healthier eating (although not the french toast I’m posting today, but it is the start of weekend and we are trying to have more fun!) and can be added to your regular repertoire, like Carrot Coconut Soup, Sesame Salmon Soba Salad, Salt and Vinegar Baked Fries and Fruit Salad with Coconut-Lime Dressing.
But today we’re talking breakfast, most likely brunch, and I guarantee you that every bite of this luscious french toast concoction is entirely worthy of any extra time you may have to spend in the gym.
Think fluffy cinnamon and vanilla spiked ricotta cheese spread, getting meltingly runny over brioche french toast that’s both soft and eggy but crispy edged at the same time. Now add a drizzle (or two) of warm, honey butter syrup. You’ve died and gone to heaven, right?
And in kind of a silver linings turn around, while I’ve been grumbling about the cold weather of late and wishing it would GO AWAY, you sort of need a frosty, wintry morning to justify and truly enjoy the decadent, carby, comfort of this dish. It’s not crazy heavy, but you wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much on a warm spring or summer day. So take my advice and make this soon!
They say we’re slated to get some messy weather here on the East Coast this weekend, so wouldn’t it be great to hunker down and whip up a batch of this? YUM! So have a great weekend, take a look at Cravings (you’re sure to have some when flipping through the pages) and stay safe and warm. I’ll be back next week as edge a little bit closer towards Spring!
P.S. I just found out that Chrissy is going to be launching a recipe website (kind of like a blog, I think?) and she is looking for input from fans about what kinds of dishes to post. Stay tuned for more Chrissy!
Cravings: Hungry For More’s French Toast with Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping-Famous Fridays
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the Ricotta Topping
Scant 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese (1 pound)
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Honey Butter Syrup
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch or two of kosher salt
For the French Toast
One 12-inch loaf day old challah or brioche, store bought or use one of these homemade loaves
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Pinch or two of kosher salt
Butter for the greasing the pan
The Recipe
1. To make the ricotta topping: Place the ricotta, cream, honey, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk everything well together, for about 1 minute until the mixture fluffs up a bit. Cover and chill until ready to use.
2. To make the honey butter syrup: Place the honey, butter, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from the heat and set aside. Reheat slightly before using.
3. To make the french toast: Cut the loaf into 2-inch thick slices. Place the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and salt in an 8-inch square baking dish and whisk together well. Set a baking sheet right next to the dish. Dip each piece of bread into the egg mixture and let sit for about 20 seconds per side so that the bread absorbs a good amount of the custard. Let the excess drip off and store the pieces on the baking sheet.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Grease it generously with butter and place as many slices of bread as will fit in the pan without it being too crowded. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden. Repeat with the remaining bread, adding more butter to the skillet so that the bread does not stick. If you like you can keep cooked pieces in a low oven to keep warm until you’ve finished cooking all the pieces and are ready to serve.
5. Divide the french toast between the plates, top with a dollop of the ricotta whip and drizzle on some warm syrup. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen.
