French Toast Amandine with Strawberry-Banana Compote

Compote

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ripe organic bananas, sliced into coins
• 1 cup ripe strawberries, cleaned and hulled
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ¼ cup bourbon

French Toast 

• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup whole milk, cream or half and half
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 loaf thick-sliced brioche, challah or country bread
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ideally clarified or high-fat.

Compote:
Melt butter in a pot over medium heat; when it foams, add bananas, strawberries and brown sugar. Stir, and cook until sugar has melted into butter, about 5 minutes.

Add bourbon, and continue to cook until fruit is deeply soft and all the alcohol has cooked off, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over French toast or pancakes, or cool it and serve in yogurt.

Toast:
Preheat oven to 200. Whisk together eggs, milk (or cream or half and half), sugar, salt and vanilla extract.

Lay bread in a baking pan, and pour egg mixture over top. Let sit 3 minutes, then turn slices over, making sure egg mixture has covered slices, with no dry spots.

Spread sliced almonds on a baking sheet, and put soaked bread slices on top. Press to adhere, then turn and repeat on other side; sprinkle with almond slices as needed. One side will be more crusted; cook that side first (and serve facing up).

Put some of the butter into a skillet placed over medium-high heat; when it’s hot, add bread slices in batches, cooking until they’re golden brown and crisp, a few minutes per side. Transfer finished toasts to a platter, and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter and bread.

Serve finished toasts with fruit compote, maple syrup or (and!) a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

VERDICT:  We made a half-batch of this, but ended up making more egg mixture to cover the bread.  The almondy french toast was very good, but the compote was a disaster--no amount of strawberry preserves could "blush up" the smushy, brownish mess.  Toss.