Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons strawberry puree
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
8 slices very thick sliced bread, such as Italian bread, Challah, Texas Toast, etc
Butter
Sliced fresh strawberries
Powdered sugar (optional)
maple syrup or strawberry syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300˚F

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, strawberry puree and orange zest until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then stir in the whipping cream. Pour into a shallow dish. Set aside.

Using a paring knife, slice a pocket into the side of each slice of bread, without cutting through the bread). Fill the pockets with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the filled bread slices into the egg mixture, then brown in the skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Keep warm on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until ready to serve. Serve hot with maple syrup, powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

Recipe from: Sandra Lee