Pear-Stuffed French Vanilla Toast -- The Bread That Belongs on Someone’s Table

Mid-May and the heat is beginning to arrive in the afternoons, that first hint of Alabama summer that says: the easy season is ending and the serious one is starting. I have been taking it in with appreciation rather than dread this year, which might be the most adult weather response I have ever had.

Wedding preparations are at the point where they are real and specific. The invitations went out this week. Thirty-seven people. Every name on that list is a person I want there and I know why I want them there, which means the list is right. Tyler said when we were addressing them: every one of these people has fed us or loves us or both. I said: that is the criterion. He said: good criterion.

I have been baking sourdough every Saturday now, the whole-day process I started in April, and I have gotten considerably better. The shaping is easier, the crumb is more open and consistent, and the crust is the right kind of crackling when you tap it. I brought a loaf to Gloria's on Sunday and she cut it at the table while it was still warm, which is the correct way to eat sourdough, and she spread it with the May strawberry jam and ate a slice and said: I have missed having good bread in this house. I said: I will make it for you every week. She said: I know you will. She said it like she had always known.

The loaf I brought to Gloria’s was plain sourdough — just flour, water, salt, and time — but what made it feel like something more was what she did with it: warm bread, good jam, a table, another person. That combination has been on my mind all week. This pear-stuffed French vanilla toast is where that feeling went next. It is still bread at the center of it, still something you make slowly and eat warm, but it is dressed up just enough for the season we are in — late spring, invitations in the mail, a life that is becoming more specific by the week.

Pear-Stuffed French Vanilla Toast

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 thick slices brioche or sturdy white bread
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a pinch for the pears
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons French vanilla coffee creamer
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. Soften the pears. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pear slices and a pinch of cinnamon and cook for 2—3 minutes, turning once, until just tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Make the filling. Beat the softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable.
3. Assemble the sandwiches. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across one side of four bread slices. Layer the warm pear slices on top, then press the remaining four bread slices firmly on top to close.
4. Mix the custard. In a shallow dish wide enough for the bread, whisk together the eggs, milk, French vanilla creamer, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon until fully combined.
5. Dip the sandwiches. Working one at a time, submerge each stuffed sandwich in the custard and let it soak for about 20 seconds per side so the bread absorbs the mixture without falling apart.
6. Cook until golden. Melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook the stuffed toast in batches for 3—4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until deep golden brown on both sides and heated through.
7. Finish and serve. Dust with the remaining tablespoon of powdered sugar. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 435 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 390mg