Abeja French Toast with Honeyed Apricots and Fresh Fruit
(appeared in The Oregonian, August 17, 2003)
The secret to Abeja French Toast with Honeyed Apricots and Fresh Fruit is the choice of bread and innkeeper Dottie Knetch’s technique of allowing the bread to marinate overnight in the rich, vanilla-scented custard instead of the normal 10 to 20 minute dunk. Knetch, owners Ginger Harrison and Molly Galt all agree that the artisan-style bread picked up at the local Albertson’s is exceptional. They have tried several of the artisan varieties and their first choice is usually the semolina raisin loaf, although any of the freshly baked styles seems to garner guests’ approval.
The Inn at Abeja is located at 2014 Mill Creek Road; Walla Walla, WA; 509-526-7400; www.abeja.net. Room rates are from $185 to $205 per night plus tax with breakfast.
Serves 4
Honeyed Apricots
4 ripe apricots
Honey for spreading
French Toast
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup granulated sugar (see Note)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 slices good-quality day-old white bread (see Note)
Up to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar for dusting
Fresh blueberries or other berries for garnishing
Fresh sliced nectarines for garnishing
Softly whipped and sweetened heavy cream
To make the Honeyed Apricots: Preheat the broiler (to medium, if possible). Halve the apricots and discard the pits. Spread the top of each half with honey and place on a baking sheet.
Broil until the fruit softens and the honey begins to caramelize and brown. (If you cannot set the broiler to medium, broil the apricots on a lower shelf in the oven.) Remove and set aside.
To make the French Toast: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sugar and vanilla. Place the bread slices in a shallow glass or ceramic dish so that they fit comfortably. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn the bread over to saturate the other side. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To cook: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
In a large, heavy frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low to medium heat. When the butter is hot, add enough slices to fit comfortably in a single layer and cook until golden brown on bottoms, 2 minutes or more. Turn the toasts and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 minutes or more. Remove the cooked toasts to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Continue in this manner, adding more butter as needed.
To serve, arrange 2 toasts on each of 4 dinner plates. Dust the toasts with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh blueberries. Arrange 2 apricot halves on each plate, along with sliced fresh nectarines and a large dollop of softly whipped and sweetened heavy cream.
Note: The sugar can be substituted with fresh fruit preserves. At the inn, they have used both peach and apricot preserves.
The bread used for French toast at the inn is always one of the Fine Artisan Breads purchased from Albertson’s bakery department. Often it is the Semolina Raisin bread, although Knecht also uses the Potato Rosemary.
Adapted from innkeeper Dottie Knecht, Inn at Abeja
This recipe is recommended for the beginning to intermediate cook.