Sheet-Pan French Toast with Strawberry Cardamom Compote

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Of all the columns I write each year, this one is the hardest. When my mom was here, I’d struggle for the right words, knowing that she’d read them. Now that she’s gone, I struggle knowing that she won’t. How can you begin to thank your mom for all she’s done, or truly express how much love you have for her, or tell her how very grateful you are that out of all the moms in the world you were lucky enough to have her for your mom? I told her that I loved her all the time, but I wish I could tell her more. 

If mom was here, I’d be planning a fancy brunch, something with foods I’d know she’d enjoy, and lots of flowers. We’d have bubbly mom-mosas, lots of coffee to visit over, and a special dessert. This Sheet-Pan French Toast with Strawberry Cardamom Compote would be just what she’d be looking for. I think you and your mom would like it, too.

My mom liked going out for breakfast at Shari’s, or brunch at the Heathman. Sometimes, her order was eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast, but most times she was looking for something she didn’t want to bother making at home. Something splurgy and decadent, a breakfast with a sense of occasion, like eggs Benedict or fancy fruit-filled crêpes. She’d order a thick Belgian waffle piled high with berries and whipped cream, while I’d hunch next to her, poking my fork through an egg white and spinach omelette, hold the cheese. 

I purposely bought 2 loaves of challah for Easter, just so I could have some leftover to make French toast. I wanted to make it on a sheet pan, and I found a great recipe from Melissa Clark for Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast. It’s soft and custardy, with a caramelized brown sugar crust and it bakes up puffy and golden in your oven. It will fill your whole house with a heavenly cinnamon aroma as it bakes – perfect to welcome mom with. Everyone liked this so much I made it twice! Top it with an easy to make Strawberry Cardamom Compote for a fancy brunch for mom. 

Where French toast is concerned, challah is the clear winner. The bread itself is naturally sweet and its rich, tender, egg-heavy nature makes it ideal for soaking up the egg and milk. Plus, you can custom slice it to your own desired level of thickness. Its structure helps it hold its shape and once it’s baked, it yields a perfectly soft, pillowy, custardy, simply divine French toast. 

When I made this, I had 2% milk on hand, so I used 2 cups of that and added in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, also on hand, to use that up, as well. I couldn’t bring myself to use an entire stick of butter, or a whole cup of sugar, so I tried cutting the butter and sugar in half and it worked just fine. I melted the butter in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave, then stirred in the brown sugar until it looked like a very thick brown paste. I spread this over one side of the bread (it doesn’t have to cover completely) and then placed it with the sugared side down onto a lightly greased baking sheet. It came out crunchy and caramelized just the same, but I saved a few calories and no one was the wiser. (I have been doing this sort of thing for years with the mashed potatoes, stuffing, casseroles, soup, and even the Chex Mix. Forgive me, mom.) I’m sharing Melissa’s recipe as written, in case you’d like to make it as intended. 

If you have a large liquid measuring cup, use it to measure, mix and pour your custard. I have an 8 cup one that I always use for making pancake batter, scrambled eggs, and anything else with a lot of liquid ingredients. I measured the milk and cream first, then added the eggs. Crack your eggs one at a time into a separate bowl, adding them as you go, into the milk and cream just in case you find an egg you don’t want to use. 

Make this the night before you plan to serve it. In the morning you’ll just pull it from the fridge, flip the bread slices over one more time and then give them the butter and sugar treatment. You can make the strawberry compote the night before as well and keep it refrigerated, or start by making it first thing in the morning, before you put your French toast in the oven. 

Start checking your oven at 20 minutes. My toast was done and looked it’s best at about 23 minutes. Be ready to pull these off the baking sheet as soon as they come out of the oven, as the sugar topping will harden as it cools, making it impossible to remove your slices. (Trust me. I learned this the hard way.) 

Make her a Mom-mosa, bake her some splurgy French toast, and let her revel in the joy of being a mom. To all the moms, grandmoms, and mothers-to-be, I hope you relax, enjoy, and have a truly lovely Mother’s Day. 

Sheet-Pan French Toast with Strawberry Cardamom Compote

• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups (535 grams) whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
• 1 1-pound challah loaf, cut into 1-inch thick slices
• 1 packed cup (210 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted

In a bowl, whisk eggs until well combined, then whisk in milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Place bread in a large rimmed sheet pan. Pour the egg mixture on top, then flip the slices to coat with custard on both sides. Let bread soak in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Flip bread again halfway through soaking, or about an hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 375º F. Pour brown sugar and melted butter onto a baking sheet and use an offset spatula to help combine it into a smooth mixture. Carefully place the bread on top of the sugared baking sheet, leaving excess liquid in the soaking pan. Bake for 27 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and puffed and the sugar is bubbling. 

Serve immediately, crunchy brown sugar side facing up. Drizzle more pan syrup on top, then top with Strawberry Cardamom Compote. 

Strawberry Cardamom Compote

• 8 ounces fresh strawberries, trimmed and quartered lengthwise 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cardamom pods, seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Combine 2/3 of the strawberries, 3 tablespoons of water, sugar, and cardamom seeds in a small saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and starting to break down, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add remaining strawberries and lemon or lime juice; cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool completely.