Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich

Welcome to Day Five of Pumpkin Week on The Pajama Chef! So, I think I should buy stock in Pumpkin Pie Spice. I certainly have been using it a lot lately, and it’s almost time to introduce the new bottle to my spice drawer. [By the way… if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, check out their Pumpkin Pie Spice. I think it’s the best! They didn’t pay me to say that, but I wouldn’t object if they wanted to…]

So, today’s installment brings you another pumpkin masterpiece. This “recipe” is really a compilation of other recipes. While it may look long and complicated because of the number of ingredients, it’s simple really. All ya gotta do is make some French toast, grill some bananas, whip up some pumpkin goodness, boil down some sugar, assemble your sammie and eat up! Easy easy, right? 🙂

I mean, who wouldn’t want to bite into this mess of hearty flavors–pumpkin, spices, banana, bread. Ah-mazing! I really enjoyed how the power of the pumpkin permeated through each and every delicious bite. This is a great, easy dinner, or a breakfast for a leisurely morning. If you don’t like pumpkin very much, scale back on the pumpkin pie spice or substitute in another sweet spice [cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.] that you prefer better. But if you don’t like pumpkin very much, this week might have been not-so-appealing to you anyways. Regularly scheduled programming begins next week again. But pumpkin will be back, I’m sure… don’t you fret!

Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich [inspired by Healthy Tipping Point]

Ingredients:

For the French Toast:

• 1 loaf multigrain French bread, preferably a day old or so, cut into appropriate size pieces for french toast [cut longways or shortways depending on what size loaf you have… or if your bread is presliced, great! I just like to use bakery bread for french toast–I think it tastes better.]
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• butter/oil for greasing the pan

For the Filling:

• 2 bananas, sliced in half longways and then into thirds [you want 6 pieces from each banana that can be laid flat on the griddle]

• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ginger

For the syrup: [adapted from The Chic Life]

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Suggested Toppings, if desired:

• butter
• pecans
• mini chocolate chips
• fruit
• anything else your little heart desires!

Directions:

Preheat a skillet over medium heat and prep with some butter/oil for frying.  In a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Meanwhile, begin making the syrup. In a small saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, water, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, then cover the pan and allow to simmer until liquid has thickend up to desired consistency. Let cool a bit before serving, as this syrup is basically a caramel sauce and is very very hot at first!

While the syrup is simmering, make the French toast. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture and turn several times to coat, but do not leave submurged more than a few seconds or the bread will get soggy. Place bread on skillet and cook until each side is a crispy, golden brown. While bread is cooking, add banana pieces to griddle to grill too.

At the same time, mix pumpkin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and a sprinkle of ginger in a small bowl [my cereal bowl was just the right size for the job]. If you want, you could put this in another saucepan or even the microwave to warm it up a tad, but I didn’t do this so it’s optional.

When all ingredients are finished, assemble sandwiches. Here is my order, from plate upwards, but feel free to be innovative and unique:

1. 1 piece of French toast
2. heaping spoonful of pumpkin
3. 2 slices of grilled banana
4. sprinkle pecans
5. sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
6. repeat steps 1-5 and then drizzle syrup overtop it all!

As for number of servings, it really will depend on you and your needs. This was really filling so I only ate one sandwich with some fruit for dinner. Ben ate several pieces of French toast with butter and syrup, and then let me make him a mini sandwich too. We finished an entire mini loaf of thin French bread between the two of us. For the syrup, Diana suggests a serving size of 2-4, with 2 servings of heavy-syrup usage and 4 of light. I would agree with that, as we had a little syrup leftover, but not much.

Click here for the printable version:  Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich

In unrelated news, I saw this on Facebook tonight and it cracked me up. Maybe you’ve seen this before and I’m just behind the times, but it is hilarious!

1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Click on “Get Directions.”
3. Type Japan as the start location and China as the end location.
4. Go to direction #43.
5. Laugh. HARD. Preferably at work. 🙂

Question of the Day: TGIF! I am so glad it’s the weekend. Schoolwork has been killer lately. What are your weekend plans? I’ll be doing some homework 😦 but also heading to Indianapolis to see some friends from home for the day!