Cranberry-Cream Cheese French Toast

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a baking sheet. Cut bread into 8 equal slices about 1-inch thick.
2. Mash cream cheese with 1 tablespoon sugar and almond extract (optional) in a medium bowl. Stir in cranberries and add more sugar if flavour is too tart. The mixture should be thick and chunky.
3. In a shallow dish or bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla, and salt.
4. With a serrated knife, cut a pocket into the side of each piece of bread, carefully slicing into but not through the bread. Spoon equal portions of the filling into each slice. Dunk the stuffed bread slices into egg mixture and soak them for several minutes, turning if needed to coat evenly, until saturated (but not falling apart).
5. Warm 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil together on a griddle or in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Briefly cook the French toast in batches until golden brown and lightly crisp, turning once. Place the first slices on the baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Continue cooking the remaining slices, adding more butter and oil as needed. When all of the French toast is ready, dust it with icing sugar, sprinkling it through a sieve. Serve immediately with maple syrup.