By now it is no secret that I have been on a big blueberry recipe mission lately. Well, mainly because of the contest I won with Wish Farms as part of my winnings was a flat of blueberries. That’s 12 pints. That’s a lot of blueberries considering that my household consists of myself, Mr. Beet and the fuzzballs. Most people would probably be smart enough to freeze most of those berries, and use them one meal at a time. But oh no, not me. I rolled up my sleeves and spent an entire weekend baking and cooking my way through twelve pints of fresh blueberries.
Breakfast is the favorite meal of both myself and Mr. Beet, and anyone who reads this blog often enough knows that Mr. Beet is a fan of anything involving Waffles, French Toast or Pancakes. So I found myself in the kitchen with a jar of blueberry sauce, a jar of lemon curd and a box of day-old croissants. What could be more obvious than whipping a fancy French Toast breakfast?
The blueberry sauce and lemon curd had been made the night before for another dish so really, throwing breakfast together was 1-2-3 and done. Dip the croissant in egg batter, bake it up and serve. French Toast has been a staple on breakfast tables around the world since the invention of bread. It’s simple, it’s quick and most of us would consider it to be a comfort food, right?
I also love the fresh flavor of lemons and blueberries together. Especially in the summer. What a beautiful and flavorful way to begin the day. What do you think?
Lemon Blueberry Croissant French Toast
A very rich and flavorful way to begin the day. Lemons and blueberries are fresh for the summer and the croissant is light.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd:
- 3 medium to large lemons
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Blueberry Sauce:
- 2 pints fresh blueberries, washed and stems picked
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
For the French Toast:
- 4 large croissant rolls, split
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- fresh blueberries, for garnish
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
For the Lemon Curd:
- Zest the lemons with a hand held grater, careful to avoid the white pith, directly into the bowl of a food processor. Place the lemons to the side as we will use the juice later.
- Add the sugar and pulse with the steel blade until the lemon zest and the sugar are minced well together.
- Add the butter and pulse into the lemon and sugar mixture.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, pulsing the mixture together between eggs.
- Juice the lemons, yielding about 1/2 cup and add to the lemon mixture.
- Add the salt and pulse until the mixture is creamy and blended well.
- Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat until mixture thickens up (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and refrigerate until completely cool. (About 2-3 hours)
For the Blueberry Sauce:
- Mix the cornstarch with 3 tbsp water. Set aside.
- Add the blueberries, water and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.
- Stir the cornstarch mixed with water into the blueberries. Simmer about 15 minutes, as the sauce will begin to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
For the French Toast:
- Preheat a pan or griddle over medium high heat on the stove.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the milk, cinnamon and nutmeg and combine.
- Dip each croissant half into the egg mixture and arrange on the preheated pan or griddle.
- Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
To assemble:
- Place the golden croissant each serving dish, add two tablespoons of the lemon curd to the bottom croissant half.
- Spoon two tablespoons of the blueberry sauce on top of the lemon curd. Top with the other half of the croissant.
- Add a few fresh blueberries to the plate as a garnish, and dust lightly with the powdered sugar.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
I make the lemon curd and the blueberry sauce 24 hours in advance to save time in the morning.
Helen Corbin
Wednesday 29th of June 2016
Great recipe - breakfast is my favorite meal as well :-)