French Toast with Fresh Strawberry Jam
Serves 4
Without the strawberry sauce, this is your basic French toast recipe—one that can be served slathered in butter and drizzled with maple syrup. Please don’t be scared off by the prospect of making your own strawberry jam for this recipe; it can be made at home really quickly, which is exactly what you should do when strawberries are at their seasonal best.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered lengthwise, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime or lemon
- 6 large eggs
- 1¾ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 slices of your favorite sturdy bread (day-old bread is best)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Set aside 1 cup of the strawberries for garnish. Place the remaining berries in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, ½ teaspoon of the salt, the ginger, and lime zest and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries become very soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool. The jam can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 6 weeks.
- Heat a griddle or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. In a large baking dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Soak the bread in the egg mixture, flipping once, until it’s soaked through but not mushy, about 1 minute per side. Melt the butter on the hot griddle and cook the bread, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and crisp along the edges, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Serve the French toast with a dab of butter, some strawberry jam, and garnished with the remaining fresh strawberries.
PANTRY
Need help with the ingredients? Check our pantry list:
cook's note
About Strawberries: Whether you buy them at the store or pick your own, strawberries are highly perishable and will not last if there is even one dented and squashed berry in the bunch. Choose ones that are evenly red and have dark green tops and a fresh berry aroma. Take a minute to go through each piece of fruit, and discard any bruised ones—as they decompose, they’ll drag their neighboring berries down with them. Wash them only when you are ready to use them or they will perish more rapidly. Don’t waste your money on inferior fresh berries—if you can’t find primo fresh berries, buy flash-frozen unsweetened ones instead.
