Guava and Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Cuban pastelitos meet traditional french toast. It's a delicious fusion of cuisines.
Servings: 6
Calories: 210kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 loaf of Challah bread
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar plus more for garnish
- 1 cup guava marmelade plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- Slice your challah loaf into 1.5 - 2 inch slices. Place the bread in a single layer on the rack. Bake, flipping halfway through, until dry to the touch on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
- The in the middle of each 2 inch slice of bread carefully slice a pocket. Be sure not to slice the bread all the way through. You want to leave about a half inch around the edge.
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar and cream cheese.
- Inside the pocket of each challah bread slice place about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and 1-2 tablespoons of guava. Once you're done filling the pocket gently press the bread to slightly seal the pocket.
- Once you're done filling all of your bread slices, prepare your custard. In a medium sized bowl combine to evaporated milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined.
- Begin soaking your challah slices. Completely submerge the slices in the custard until drenched but not falling apart, 1 minute per side. When removing the slice, lightly tap the bread against the side of the bowl to remove any excess custard.
- Set a large skillet to medium-low heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 2 soaked challahs slices. Cook until the bottoms are golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is browned, about 3 minutes more. Add additional butter to the pan in between batches, swirling as it melts.
- Once cooked and ready to serve, garnish with powdered sugar and an extra drizzle of guava marmalade.
Notes
Substitutions / Variations
- you don't have heavy cream, you can use whole milk.
- Don't have guava marmalade ? Opt for strawberry jam, raspberry jam or even blackberry jam.
- If looking for a dairy-free option, use coconut evaporated milk or your choice of non-dairy milk.
- Swap the cream cheese with a non dairy cream cheese of choice.
Storage for this guava french toast
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This dish doesn't stand up well to freezing.Tips for making this stuffed french toast
- Be sure that your challah is completely dried out before making.
- Make sure your skillet is set to medium low heat to make sure you don't burn your french toast.
- Place your cream cheese and guava in pastry piping bags to make it easier to fill the bread pockets.