BLUEBERRY & LEMON
STUFFED RICOTTA FRENCH TOAST
servings: 2
prep time: 10 min
cook time: 15 min
We nominate this nostalgic dish to be the official breakfast of any long-weekend brunch. It can be prepared in so many ways, but blueberries and lemon together is always an epic combo. That said, feel free to experiment with your favourite berries to make it even more irresistible for you or your guests. And if cutting pockets into your bread seems like too much work for this weekend, just build this like a sandwich with 2 slices per piece of French toast.
Given we’re Life Athletes on a mission, we promise we won’t fail yours. You want to impress your guests and this is sure to do the trick and have them wanting more.
- 2 Large eggs, whiske
- 1/2 cup whole milk or dairy substitute (unsweetened)
- 6 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1⁄4 Tsp vanilla
- 1⁄4 Tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 4 Slices sourdough bread, cut 1.5” thick (crusts removed)
- 2 Cups ricotta (11⁄2 cups for ricotta filling, 1⁄2 cup separate for garnish)
- 2 1⁄2 Cups frozen blueberries
- 2 Cups water
- 1 Sprig of mint (optional – for garnish)
- 1 1⁄2 lemons – zested (1⁄2 zest of lemon for filling, 1⁄2 zest of lemon for blueberry compote,
1⁄2 zest of lemon for garnish) - Salt
- Non-stick cooking oil
- 4 Orange rounds for garnish
- Preheat Air Fryer to 350 degrees F with the rack inside.
- In an uncovered small saucepan on med. heat, add frozen blueberries, 4 tbsp coconut sugar, water, ½ zest of lemon, and a pinch of salt.
- Once the mixture has come to a boil, turn down to med-low and simmer for approx. 10 mins, allowing the liquid to reduce by half.
- In a small mixing bowl, add 1½ cups ricotta, 1 tbsp coconut sugar, zest of ½ lemon + pinch of salt. Mix together.
- Cut 4 x 1.5 inch slices of sourdough bread and remove the crusts. Cut along the length to make a pocket without cutting all the way through (¾ of the way). Reminder: the more gentle you are with the bread, the less tearing there will be.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1 tbsp of coconut sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, + a pinch of salt. This is the custard base.
- Take the sliced sourdough with the pocket and carefully stuff it with approximately 1 large spoonful of the ricotta mixture in each portion of bread. Note: Save ½ cup of ricotta for garnish.
- Once the bread is stuffed, soak in the custard base until the bread has absorbed the custard. Make sure to allow any excess custard to drip off. Note: If you can’t fit all 4 pieces of bread in the air fryer, do not pre soak the french toast. We suggest cooking in 2 batches.
- Lightly spray the tray in the air fryer with non-stick cooking oil.
- Place uncooked french toast on the rack + spray the uncooked french toast with a little oil as well.
- Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, (flipping halfway) until the toast is golden and puffed.
- To serve, place 2 pieces of the stuffed French toast on your favourite plate, a spoonful of the fresh ricotta, and top with the blueberry compote.
- Finish it off with some lemon zest, and a leaf of mint. Enjoy.
Use day old or stale bread for best results. This will help prevent soggy french toast.
Don’t have an air fryer? No problem – this can be made on a stove top. On medium low heat, add ½ tbsp butter to a fry pan. Add your soaked french toast and cook each side until golden (5 minutes approximately).
If you can’t find an uncut loaf of sourdough bread, you can use 4 slices of bread per serving. Place one slice of bread on your cutting board, add the filling (keeping it about ½ cm away from the edges) and place the other slice on top. When soaking the bread, just be cautious that the bread slices don’t come apart. Cook as per usual.
When you cut the crusts off of your bread, save the crusts. Cut them into small 1-2 cm pieces to make croutons for your next salad. Or you can place them in a paper bag and let them dry out for a couple of days. Pulse them in a food processor / blender / using a rolling pin and you have homemade bread crumbs!
Can’t find sourdough? That’s okay, substitute with your favourite type of bread.