I know, I know... I must have an obsession with berries, right? I mean, as if I didn't get enough raspberries this summer (and I still have a ton in the freezer). But blackberries are so much different than raspberries, and they were in season, so how could I resist?
You see, my mom came to visit last month, and we wanted to go to Hood River to do the Fruit Loop, but just didn't have time. A closer option (and one I've mentioned before, if you recall the nude beach.... ahem) is Sauvie Island, where they have lots of little farms where you can go and pick your own fruit. It's no Fruit Loop, but is much closer and still hugely satisfying, so it was the perfect option for us. Luckily Chester Blackberries were in season, as well as nectarines and a few other goodies (remember I mentioned my blackberry & nectarine cobbler?), so we set out to pick some. It was a great way to spend a few hours, and we had a great time. The berries were absolutely huge and they were so juicy and sweet. Some of them almost tasted like wine, they were so rich.
The picture above is actually the path between rows of berries that we had to walk through to pick them. Lucky for us, Chester blackberries are thornless! It was like a jungle and we thought we'd never get out, but it was worth it. We took a little flat cardboard tray to put the berries in while we were picking, and we were having so much fun that we didn't really realize exactly how many we had picked. But on our way back up to the tent to check out, I turned to my mom and said, "You know, I'm a little concerned about how much weight we have here... this thing almost feels as heavy as Oliver, and he weighs ten pounds!" She said, "Surely not... let me see." And so she took the flat, and said, "Oh, wow.... maybe we do have a lot." When we got back up to weigh in, it turns out we had 8 pounds of berries. Not as much as we feared, but still, a LOT of berries. So, we went home, rinsed them, and promptly employed my freezing technique so I can enjoy berries all winter long.
Anyway, now I have all these berries (raspberries and blackberries) in my freezer, and last weekend I got a craving for some french toast. So I whipped this up in about 20 minutes. Easy peasy, and deeeelish. It didn't even need syrup!
One quick note before you start: If you're using frozen berries, you have a couple of choices here. Either take your berries out of the freezer to thaw the night before, or you can speed thaw them by rinsing them GENTLY under warm water. I usually put them in a small bowl, fill with warmish water and let them sit for a couple of minutes, then drain. After doing this 3 or 4 times, they should be mostly thawed except in the very middle. At this point, just let them sit and accumulate some of their own juice. You can sprinkle some sugar in at this point to help with the process. It's best if you let them naturally sit out and produce their own juice while thawing, but I hardly ever know what I'm making for breakfast until I wake up in the morning, so this is a good option. OR, if you don't care about using berry juice as syrup, you can rinse and drain all you want, and then just use regular syrup.
Berry French Toast
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
4 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 1/2-inch slices bread of your choice, preferably a bit dry (although I used regular ol' bread and it turned out just fine)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups frozen berries, thawed to room temperature (keep the juices that accumulate during the thawing process)
powdered sugar
maple syrup (optional)
1. In a shallow bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating both sides and letting it soak in for just a second or two. If you're using really thick bread, let soak in egg mixture about 10 seconds on each side.
2. In a skillet or on a griddle melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat; add half of the bread slices and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining butter and bread slices. Top with thawed berries, juices, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm. If desired, serve with syrup.
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