Cherry Valentines

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• red food coloring, a few drops if desired
• 8 slices day-old firm bread
• 1 (14 ounce) can sour pitted cherries, drained and diced
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• red food coloring (optional)

Recipe

• 1 using a hand mixer, mix the whipped cream, sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese together in a bowl; chill.
• 2 in a pie plate or other shallow pan, whisk together the milk, eggs, almond extract, and salt.
• 3 add a few drops of red food coloring to make mixture pink, if desired.
• 4 cut bread slices into large heart shapes with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
• 5 soak bread slices in egg mixture for 10 seconds on each side.
• 6 heat a frying pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat.
• 7 cover and cook soaked bread in pan 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.
• 8 let each slice cool to room temperature.
• 9 place 1/4 of the chilled cream filling between two french toast slices.
• 10 ladle generously with chunky cherry syrup and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar as a garnish.
• 11 make cherry syrup: add cherries to a saucepan; add in corn syrup and sugar.
• 12 bring to a full rolling boil.
• 13 decrease heat and let simmer 25-30 minutes, or until thickened.
• 14 turn off heat and add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.
• 15 let cool to warm and serve; may store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.