Sunday Brunch: French Toast with Nectarine Compote; Two Ways

I tried to put a healthy twist on one of my favorite brunch meals-- partially because I had a lot of whole wheat bread about to go stale, and because I wanted something sinful (and of course because it was whole wheat I could 'justify' eating it:) I chose to use nectarines because they were the sweetest fruit I found at the Farmer's Market. Feel free to substitute nectarines for peaches, apples, pears, or whatever excites your taste buds.

Ingredients:

(Serves 6-8)

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp sugar

dash of salt

butter, oil or cooking spray

2 cups quick rolled oats (optional)

Nectarine Compote

4 nectarines; halved and pitted, and sliced

2 tbsp butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

For Compote:

1. In a pot, melt butter on medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the nectarines and stir often so they do not burn. Ideally, you want to sautee the nectarines in order to obtain their sweet taste-- approximately 3-4 minutes.

2. Once the nectarines have browned, add cinnamon, vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir just enough to incorporate the ingredients. (Be careful not to overstir in order to hold the shape of the fruit)

3. Add water and remaining sugar, and bring to a gentle boil-- stir often so sugar does not burn. Once the sugar reaches a boiling temperature, reduce heat to simmer.

4. Allow the nectarines to stew until the syrup begins to thicken-- approximately 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to set; it will thicken a little more as it cools.

For French Toast:

1. Break eggs into a shallow bowl; and lightly beat with a fork or whisk. Stir in sugar, salt and milk

2. Over medium-low heat, prepare your skillet or griddle with butter, margarine, or cooking spray.

3. You can cut the bread into thinner slices (like I did), or you can leave it whole. Place the bread into the egg bowl, and allow the bread to soak up the egg mixture. [Soak only as many slices as you plan on cooking at one time; if not they will get too soggy, and the bread will break up as you cook it]

4. [OPTIONAL] For an added crunch, roll your egg-soaked bread into quick rolled oats.

5. Cook bread slices on griddle or skillet until the bottom is golden brown, flip and brown the other side.

6. Serve french toast with warm nectarine compote. YUM:)