I was thumbing through the new In the Kitchen with David: Back Around the Table cookbook for the first time, and looked up at my husband and said, “I want to eat every single thing in this cookbook!” I couldn’t believe it. I have never found a cookbook where all 150+ recipes sound like something I want to make for my family. I’m serious, I want to make Every. Single. Recipe.
Better yet, I’d love to have David Venable over to my house and cook because he is so fun to watch on QVC’s popular cooking show, In the Kitchen with David®. His latest cookbook is the next best thing, though, and I am always happy to find exciting new recipes to try at home. Back Around the Table is full of comfort food recipes that my family will actually eat. It includes more than 100 brand new recipes plus 30 fan favorites.
The cookbook is organized into 11 chapters, including a bonus holiday chapter that is exclusively available when you purchase from QVC. Each chapter is like a mini cookbook for whatever the topic, from “Low and Slow” slow cooker recipes to “Gather and Share” dishes for family meals. I am looking forward to spending the next year cooking my way through David’s recipes.
I am just an everyday mom cooking for her family, and feel that any home cook and/or foodie is going to enjoy everything this cookbook has to offer. The recipes are easy to follow, even for beginner cooks.
There are plenty of full-color food photos guaranteed to make your mouth water. Yummy-looking photos are the first thing to catch my eye. Not to mention it helps me to know what my “final product” is supposed to look like when I finish cooking.
I love that each and every recipe is preceded by one of David’s personal anecdotes. In fact, the reason I chose to make his Strawberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast recipe was because he mentioned he used to eat “a bagel a la Bama” for breakfast in college — that’s a toasted bagel with cream cheese and Bama strawberry jelly. I grew up in Alabama, and there’s no telling how many jars of that southern classic Bama jelly I ate over the years.
I’m glad I picked this sweet and delicious recipe from the “Brunch and Beyond” chapter of David’s cookbook. It takes a little more time and effort to make than traditional French toast, but it is SO worth it. The strawberry flavor combined with cream cheese and toasted bread is a heavenly combination. The little hint of orange takes the dish into divine goodness territory. This is the thing to serve at holiday breakfasts and brunches. Everyone will love it.
Strawberry Cream Cheese-Stuffed French Toast
Recipe from In the Kitchen with David: Back Around the Table cookbook
Makes 5 servings
Ingredients:
Strawberry-Orange Sauce
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
French Toast
12 oz cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp seedless strawberry jam
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
10-3/4″-thick challah or brioche slices
1-1/4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp sugar
Unsalted butter
Preparation:
1. To make the sauce, combine the strawberries, sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the strawberries are soft and the syrup is slightly thickened, 10–12 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool.
2. To make the French toast, whisk together the cream cheese, strawberry jam, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the 10 bread slices. Top 5 of the bread slices with 1/4 cup each of the sliced strawberries, then put the remaining bread slices on top like sandwiches.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, orange juice, and sugar in a shallow bowl. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture and allow to soak for a few seconds on each side. Cook the sandwiches until light golden brown, 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to serving plates and drizzle the sauce on top. Serve warm.
Tune in to “In the Kitchen with David” on QVC Wednesdays at 8PM (ET) and Sundays at 12PM (ET) and visit QVC.com/ITKWD for David Venable’s recipes and blog posts.
If you think your family will enjoy this recipe, be sure to visit qvc.co/AroundtheTableCookbook to learn more about and purchase Back Around the Table: An “In the Kitchen with David” Cookbook. Filled with 156 great recipes like this, you’re sure to find something that fits your lifestyle and gathers everyone back around the table!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of QVC. The opinions and text are all mine.
