Southland French Toast

Whenever I have an older half of the Italian/French bread loaf, and it starts to get dry, I like to make a sweet and spicey French Toast dish that includes one of several fruits I usually have around the kitchen. I keep the syrup to a minimum and keep it around the bread, not on it, to maintain its firm texture..

The Recipe

Ingredients (toast): four ¾” to 1” pieces of Italian bread; three eggs (duck or chicken); one half cup ½ and ½; one half teaspoon cinnamon; one half teaspoon cayenne; one half teaspoon vanilla extract; juice of one large orange, two oz butter, one half cup maple syrup.
Ingredients (fruit options): 12 oz fresh blueberries; or three small previously grilled peaches (marinated in brown sugar, olive oil, bourbon/brandy, fermented hot sauce); or two oranges peeled and sliced combined with ¼ tsp brown sugar.
Breakfast meat of choice for me is homemade breakfast sausage, scrapple, lastly bacon.
1. Wisk together the eggs, ½ and ½, cinnamon, cayenne, vanilla, and orange juice the set aside. Mix again just prior to use.
2. On a griddle melt the butter and spread around evenly- submerge each bread slice in the egg mixture and turn several times to soak it. Place on the griddle and cook until brown, turning several times.
3. Place two pieces of toast one each plate, add your preferred fruit topping (I really like the peaches), and drizzle maple syrup around the outside of each piece of bread.