Crunchy Coconut French Toast with Maple-Pineapple Compote

My husband doesn't like super sweet breakfast items (pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc), which are my specialty, so I usually have to get creative when making them. We've learned that he just doesn't like "typical" sweet breakfasts: full of sugar, topped with more sugar, sprinkled with sugar.

So, this morning when he asked what I was making for breakfast, I said I could make french toast. He grimaced, but I had some ideas up my sleeve that I was wanting to try.

Crunchy Coconut French Toast with Maple-Pineapple Compote

You will need:

bread (I used sliced whole wheat)
1 cup half & half
3 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract
cinnamon
nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 can pineapple rings in pineapple juice
maple syrup
shredded coconut
corn flakes, crushed
canola oil

Directions:

1. Drain the can of pineapple into a cup. Now you have a glass of pineapple juice to enjoy while you cook! Empty the entire can of pineapple into a blender and blend until "crushed." You could just use crushed pineapple, I suppose, but I liked the different sized chunks of pineapple.

2. Using a cheese cloth, squeeze out all of the juice from the crushed pineapple and put into a small sauce pan. Pour maple syrup over pineapple until you get the proportion you want---for us it was more pineapple, less syrup. Heat on low to get all nice and warm while you make the french toast.

3. Get a pan going on medium heat. It will be hot enough to use when you flick some water from your fingers into it and the water sizzles and steams away quickly.

4. In a small bowl, beat half & half with eggs. Add desired amount of cinnamon and nutmeg, pinch of salt, and vanilla.

5. On a large plate, mix about 1 cup crushed corn flakes and add about 1/2 cup shredded coconut with your fingers until well combined.

6. Dip bread into egg mixture on both sides until completely saturated. Drip off excess goo and coat both sides well with corn flake mixture.

7. Use a paper towel to lightly coat the pan with canola oil (PAM would work, too) and cook the french toast on both sides until golden brown. Top with the Maple-Pineapple Compote and serve!

And if you're curious as to what my husband thought of it.... "Not bad?" I asked. "Better than that! It's good!" Woohoo!