Cornmeal-Crusted French Toast with Maple-Blueberry Sauce

Weekend breakfasting doesn’t get much better than this–cornmeal-crusted, buttermilk-soaked French toast with maple-blueberry sauce, unless, maybe, it’s made over a campfire on a big skillet shared with bacon or sausage and you eat it surrounded by tall trees or looking out at a lake.

Excuse the digression.  Maple syrup and blueberries always lead me to daydreaming about camping.  Is there a better way to start the day than campfire coffee and a huge breakfast?  This French toast would be particularly good with its hearty cornmeal crunch that would stick with as you hike miles, blueberries and real maple syrup that scream of the North woods.  Ooops…there I go again.  I might need to skip town for a few days.

Until we sneak out of the city and into the wilderness, we’ll brunch at home.

First, let’s make the maple-blueberry sauce.  The recipe is a tough one: combine blueberries and maple syrup, simmer.

Now for the French toast.  Slice a loaf of bread and whisk together a custard.  Buttermilk, a couple of eggs, a spoonful of sugar, and a pinch of salt should do the trick.  Don’t have buttermilk?  Don’t stress about it.  I like its subtle tang, but regular milk or cream will do just fine.  Breakfast is not a time for stress, especially when you’re supposed to be daydreaming.

Soak thick slices of bread in the custard, then dip in cornmeal.  Fry them up in butter or bacon fat.  It’s okay–in your fantasy camping land, you’re leaving for a hike right after this.  Or in reality-land, heading to the gym.

Ah, I can practically smell the tall pines, even through my maple-blueberry and coffee scented kitchen.  It’s a bountiful brunch with a hefty side of daydreamin’, otherwise known as my favorite way to kick off the weekend.

Cornmeal French Toast with Maple-Blueberry Sauce

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Cornmeal adds a little crunch to buttermilk-soaked French toast. If you have leftover maple-blueberry sauce, it's good with peanut butter on a toasted English muffin and I can imagine adding it to a milkshake would be life-changing.

Author: Sarah

Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American, Summer

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 c. Blueberries, fresh or frozen
• ½ c. Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 c. Buttermilk
• 3 Eggs
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ¾-1 c. Cornmeal
• 8 slices (about ¾ in. thick) Challah (or your favorite bread to use for French toast)
• Butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°.
2. Combine the blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries have released most of their juices but haven't completely broken down, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, sugar, and salt in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Sprinkle about ½ c. cornmeal on another plate. Soak each slice of bread in the buttermilk mixture, about 2 minutes per side until thoroughly saturated. Remove and transfer to the plate of cornmeal. Evenly coat both sides with cornmeal and transfer to a plate while you prepare the remaining slices.
4. Melt about 1 Tbsp. butter on a griddle over medium heat. Cook the French toast until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Keep warm in the oven until you are ready to serve.
5. Top the French toast with the warm blueberry sauce. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and ponder what life would be like if every day could start so gloriously.

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