Peach French Toast -- The Last Good Peaches of Summer

August and the semester is preparing to end and start again in September. Fall semester senior year. My last year of undergraduate. My research with Dr. Ochoa has produced two papers now, one published and one in review, and the fellowship applications are in. I wait.

I have been making preserves again. Summer is nearly over and the peaches are the last good ones of the season and I bought ten pounds from the farmers market this year and spent a Saturday canning. Ten pints of peach preserves, plus three of the peach-bourbon variety that I developed this year, adding a tablespoon of good bourbon per jar in the last minute of cooking and sealing immediately. The peach-bourbon is extraordinary. Rich and fruity and warm. Gloria tasted a jar I left on the porch step and called me that evening to say: you improved the peach preserves. I said I just added bourbon. She said: well. Sometimes that is the improvement.

Priya is finishing her nursing degree in December. She has a job lined up already. She came to tell me at the kitchen table and said: I do not want to leave this apartment. I said: you are going to be an extraordinary nurse. She said: you are going to be extraordinary at whatever you do next. We sat at the kitchen table with our coffee for a while after that, not talking much, just being in the kitchen together. That is its own kind of conversation.

After spending a Saturday canning ten pounds of peaches — stirring, sealing, savoring the smell of something being preserved against the coming cold — I couldn’t stop thinking about peaches in every form. The morning after a big canning day, when there are a few ripe ones left that didn’t make it into a jar, this Peach French Toast is exactly what I make: slow, unhurried, the kind of breakfast that suits a kitchen where two people can sit together and not say much and still feel entirely at home.

Peach French Toast

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 8 slices thick-cut brioche or challah bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Powdered sugar and maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the peach topping. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the sliced peaches, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until the peaches are tender and the sauce is syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Prepare the egg mixture. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sugar until fully combined.
3. Soak the bread. Working in batches, dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing it to soak for about 20–30 seconds per side so it absorbs fully without falling apart.
4. Cook the French toast. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the soaked bread slices in batches and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Work in batches as needed, adding a small amount of butter between rounds.
5. Serve. Plate the French toast and spoon the warm peach topping generously over each serving. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with maple syrup if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg