Rick's French Toast with Strawberries

I'm about to share with you a little French toast* secret that I learned from the owner/head chef of the Alameda, the restaurant in Louisville, KY where I used to work. The secret to amazing French toast is...cheese. That's right. We always served Asiago cheese bread at the Alameda, but some days when it was really slow or we were opening early for lunch, Rick would slice up thick chunks of the cheese bread and turn them into the best French toast I've ever eaten. Sounds strange, but if you haven't tried cheese bread French toast, I'm telling you, you haven't lived.

We had some Asiago kaiser rolls left over from the pulled pork extravaganza, and since it was a lazy Sunday morning, I decided to bring Rick's French Toast to Portland. It's a pretty classic recipe: just mix up eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar, then dip the bread in there and fry it up. I simply topped it with some fresh, lightly mascerated strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar. The slight saltiness from the cheese brings out the sweetness of the egg coating and the berries. Serve with coffee and public radio jazz. (Or a screwdriver and public radio bluegrass, if you're feeling feisty.)


*Make any mention of "Freedom Toast" and I'll slap you in the face with it.