Submitted by Jodi Taffel

About the cook: I'm a home cook with a passion for cooking and contests who's cooling her heels during this Shelter In Place quarantine with no outlet for my culinary curiosity other than my kitchen, the internet and the capacity of my honey's tummy. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a house full of people to cook for right now!

About the dish: Who doesn’t love French Toast? Especially Stuffed French Toast! But the fat & calories relegate it to a decadent breakfast treat we only allow ourselves on special occasions. My grilled version swaps butter for a scant bit of healthy olive oil. Substituting agave for white sugar & Greek yogurt for cream cheese also decrease fat & calories & increase health benefits. The vitamins in fresh fruit & a homemade strawberry balsamic drizzle seal the deal. No you can have French Toast whenever you want!

National Origin: American

Serves: 2

Estimated Time: 30 to 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 pints strawberries
1 cup premium balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh honeydew melon
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 slices White Bread
2 extra large eggs
1/4 cup half & half
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 ounces low fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional garnish)

Preparation:

1. Set grill to medium heat.
2. While the grill heats up, set the 2 prettiest strawberries aside for garnish. Remove the leaves from the remaining strawberries. Quarter 1 pint of strawberries and add to a blender with the balsamic vinegar. Blend until all the fruit is broken down. Pour balsamic strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer intro a saucepan set over medium heat and reduce by half. (It will continue to thicken as it cools).
3. Slice the remaining strawberries intro 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
4. Cut the honeydew into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
5. Dip a paper towel into the olive oil and use it to wipe the grill grates.
6. Grill the bread for 2 minutes per side, to dry it out a bit.
7. While the bread is grilling, add the eggs, half & half, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt to a flat bottomed bowl or high walled casserole dish and whisk until thoroughly combined.
8. Dip grilled bread in the egg mixture and grill again until both sides are nicely browned and have grill marks, about 5 minutes per side.
9. Remove crust from bread and slice each into 2 even rectangles.
10. Evenly distribute the Greek yogurt on 8 of the bread slices and spread to cover.
11. Top 4 Greek yogurt covered bread slices with sliced strawberries and 4 with honeydew slices.
12. Place bread slices with honeydew on top of bread slices with strawberries. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top of the honeydew.
13. Drizzle with strawberry balsamic reduction and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
14. Slice the 2 reserved strawberries into a fan shape and place as garnish on serving plates with the finished Napoleons.
Recipe makes 2 servings of 2 Napoleons per person.

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