French Toast with Brie, Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, using a shallow pan or pie plate, beat egg. Next add melted butter, followed by milk and vanilla. Then add the sugar, flour, spices and salt and whisk until smooth.
3. Soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture for 20-30 seconds, taking care not to over-soak or over saturate bread.
4. Remove bread from bowl, allowing excess egg mixture to drip off and repeat with the remaining slices
5. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the preheated skillet, and swirl to coat. Add the prepared bread slices in a single layer and allow them to cook. Cook for about 1 minutes and 45 seconds on the first side and about a minute on the second. Remove cooked toast to a plate. Add additional butter to the skillet with each new batch.
6. Plate and serve the toast right away. Serve topped with a few strawberries, and 1-3 thick slabs of slightly melted Brie. Finish by drizzling caramel sauce over the top and sprinkling with powdered sugar.

For the caramel sauce:
1. Place water in a 12″ non-stick skillet or small pot (make sure to use one with a lid), and pour sugar in the center. This is to keep the sugar from crystallizing and burning on the side of the pan. This can’t be corrected if it happens, and it negatively impacts the flavor.
2. Put the lid on the pot—this will allow the water that is being evaporated from the boiling process to run back down the side of the pan, helping to ensure no sugar burns on the sides. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
3. In a separate pan, heat the cream and salt over low heat. The salt will help to accentuate the caramel flavor. The goal here is not to change the cream in any way (i.e. reduce it, etc.), but rather, just to warm it up so that it can be added to caramel.
4. Once sugar and water mixture begins to boil, remove lid and watch carefully. When the sugar starts turning a golden-brown, turn the heat down to medium, and stir occasionally. Once the sugar begins to turn, it will do so pretty fast, so it’s imperative not to walk away from it at this point. The caramel will register 350 F on a candy thermometer when it is done.
5. Remove from heat and add the warm cream to the caramel, a little at a time, whisking as you do. When you add the cream there will be a bubbling reaction that can be quite violent if you add too much cream at once. Never fear though, just whisk it a little and the reaction will subside pretty quickly.

Recipe for basic French toast and caramel sauce was adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.