Strawberry Tiramisu French Toast

I had a loaf of french bread laying around and was considering making breakfast when I thought of turning it into a tiramisu.  Pretty good idea, I must say!  This could be a dessert or breakfast/brunch treat.

Yield:  About 10 servings

Ingredients:
1 large loaf French bread
8 eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup prepared coffee
1/2 cup dark rum
1 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp melted butter

Garnishes:
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 cup dark chocolate shavings (optional)
Sliced strawberries

Maple syrup for serving
 

Directions:
Slice bread into approximately 1-inch thick slices. Whip eggs with butter and set aside. In a mixer, whip mascarpone cheese, cream, vanilla extract and sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine coffee and rum.

Next, dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture and cook on a griddle or skillet for a couple of minutes, until brown, and then layer into a baking dish.

Once the bread is arranged in the pan, use a knife or spatula to spread the mascarpone cream between each layer.  Drizzle the rum/coffee mixture over the pieces, and then add the strawberry slices.  Sprinkle with cocoa powder and chocolate curls, if using.

This dish is traditionally served cold, though I can't imagine it would taste bad if warm.  I served it cold, with maple syrup on the side.  Yum!

Enjoy!