RECIPE: French Toast with Pears and Pomegranate Sauce

FRENCH TOAST WITH PEARS AND POMEGRANATE SAUCE
From Bon Appetit – Sept. 2008
yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 30 minutes
total time: 30 minutes

This recipe sparked moans of pleasure 🙂 Rather than try to follow a new recipe before coffee, I prepped the egg goo and the sauce the night before, as well as sliced up the pears and put them in a storage container. That meant in the morning, all I had to do was dip and cook the eggs, saute the pears and warm the sauce.

NOTE: We all thought the sauce needed to be more syrup-y. I think they make it liquidy so the toast soaks it up, but I believe I will try melting the sugar down into a syrup and then adding the juice next time to see if I can get it a bit thicker.

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INGREDIENTS
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5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom,divided
4 3/4-inch-thick slices egg bread
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 firm but ripe unpeeled red Anjou or Bartlett pears, halved, cored, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 cup pomegranate juice
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

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PREPARATION
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Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom to blend in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Add bread slices; let stand until egg mixture is absorbed, turning bread slices occasionally with spatula, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet; stir to melt. Add pomegranate juice, sugar, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon cardamom; simmer until liquid is slightly thickened and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove sauce from heat.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter on griddle or in another large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread slices and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Cut French toast slices diagonally in half; divide among plates. Top with pear slices, spoon sauce over, and serve.