Banana & Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

For the French Toast Filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. honey

1/4 t. cinnamon

dash of fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 t. lemon juice

2 ripe but firm bananas, sliced thin

For the Batter:

1 c. flour

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 c. milk

3 eggs

1 T. honey

8 slices of good quality white sandwich bread

4 t. butter

4 t. canola (or vegetable) oil

maple syrup, for serving

Preparation

In a small bowl combine the softened cream cheese, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice, set aside while preparing the batter.

Whisk together all of the batter ingredients until thoroughly mixed. (This is a breeze if you use a blender.) Pour the batter into a wide, shallow dish (like a pie plate).

Spread the filling mixture equally over 1 side of each slice of bread, divide the sliced bananas between 4 slices of the bread, top with the remaining 4 slices, press lightly.

Melt 2 t. butter and 2 t. oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter foams and then subsides. Working with one sandwich at a time dip both sides in the batter and let the excess drip away, add to the hot pan, repeat with a second sandwich. Cook until golden brown on the first side, around 3-5 minutes, flip and repeat on the second side. Repeat this process with the remaining, oil, butter and sandwiches. To serve, cut into triangles and serve with maple syrup.