Red Wine & Orange-Cranberry French Toast

Sometimes when we hold an object in our hands, we may not know the great significance it holds, the other hands that have held it, the time it took to cultivate it or care it’s been given. This happened to me recently when visiting an Ocean Spray cranberry bog, actually being able to talk with the farmers, get my hands dirty, and learn and understand what it takes to bring millions of pounds of these delicious berries to households across the world. I can honestly say it was a humbling and amazing experience.

When coming up with a dish to make with the cranberries we got to harvest, the choice came to me pretty easily. In the early fall months when you check out your local grocery store, you might come across cranberry orange bread, a sweet, spice bread that tastes and smells of fresh orange zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon, with chunks of ruby red cranberries cooked into it. Inspired, I could only think of one thing to make: French toast!

All the usual suspects are here in the batter, such as cinnamon, vanilla, and cream. But to add that taste I love from the cranberry bread, I added tons of fresh orange zest as well as the juice, and a splash of fresh cranberry juice to keep the theme going. On top I made a lovely red wine cranberry compote with the buoyant cranberries we picked. It’s sweet, decadent, tart, and citrusy, all the things we love in the fall. I hope you all enjoy this dish!